Asymmetric perception of gains vs non-losses and losses vs non-gains: The causal role of regulatory focus

Recent studies show that, while losses loom larger than equivalent non-gains, gains loom larger than equivalent non-losses. This finding, at odds with the loss aversion principle, has been interpreted within the framework of regulatory focus theory. In this study, we explore the causal effect of regulatory focus on the asymmetric perception of gains vs non-losses and losses vs non-gains. We examine the perceived effects of both hypothetical and actual changes in monetary wealth, while orthogonally manipulating framing, valence, and regulatory focus. We find a significant interaction between the three factors. The gain vs non-loss asymmetry in perceived satisfaction is stronger in promotion focus, while the loss vs non-gain asymmetry in perceived dissatisfaction is stronger in prevention focus. The results suggest that the effects of incentives framed in terms of (non)gains and (non)losses, depend on their congruence with the individual’s motivational state.Loss-gain asymmetry, regulatory focus, prospect theory, subjective value

La finestra fatale. Morte di Enrico II di Champagne nella «Gran Conquista de Ultramar»

-Sulla morte di Enrico II di Champagne, sovrano di Gerusalemme, caduto da una finestra del castello reale di Acri nel 1197, le informazioni piú cospicue ci vengono offerte dalle continuazioni francesi del Chronicon di Guglielmo di Tiro; i loro resoconti dell’incidente presentano però nette divergenze reciproche, sia nella sequenza dei fatti sia nel profilo dei personaggi coinvolti, con esiti di notevole qualità letteraria. La Gran Conquista de Ultramar, redatta in Castiglia alla fine del XIII secolo, costruisce una nuova versione dell’accaduto basata aggregando il contenuto di due continuations, con esiti paradossali e grotteschi, ma serba anche la possibile traccia di un dettaglio originale assente altrove

Apuntes para una edición crítica del Lucidario del rey Sancho IV de Castilla

El artículo está dedicado al estudio de la tradición textual del Lucidario de Sancho IV de Castilla (1285-1294), hijo de Alfonso X. La obra, de carácter enciclopédico, consiste en una serie de respuestas de un maestro a su discípulo sobre la teología y la naturaleza: los manuscritos hoy conocidos (seis en castellano más uno que guarda una traducción en latín) difieren en el número o en el orden de sus capítulos, planteando así el problema de sus relaciones. Por medio de un análisis estructural y textual de los testimonios, y en particular gracias a los errores compartidos por parte de ellos, es posible proponer un stemma codicum, dividido en dos familias. En la mayoría de los casos ellas comparten el mismo texto, que es posible reconstruir; sin embargo, en algunos capítulos cada familia se opone a la otra por la presencia de secciones diferentes, que parecen el resultado de intervenciones sucesivas. En la nueva edición crítica será posibile distinguir entre texto compartido y secciones pertenecientes a cada familia, destacando así los materiales que se agregaron a la obra durante su historia

Nuovi appunti per un'edizione del «Lucidario» di Sancho IV di Castiglia (I)

L’articolo riprende il problema della collocazione del ms. Rouen, Bibliothèque patrimoniale Villon A283, di recente scoperta, entro la tradizione del Luçidario di Sancho IV di Castiglia. Sulla base dell’analisi di vari loci critici il nuovo testimone permette di confermare la validità dello stemma proposto in passato, entro il quale arricchisce la famiglia di maggior peso; esso offre inoltre un termine di paragone importante per misurare le innovazioni del codice volgare a esso più vicino, siglato B

Compositional and Morphological Characterization of ‘Sorrento’ and ‘Chandler’ Walnuts

In Italy, most of the cultivated walnuts belong to the Sorrento ecotype, and they are considered commercially valuable due to their specific organoleptic characteristics. The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the morphological and compositional characteristics of walnuts sampled from ‘Sorrento’ trees cultivated in different locations in Campania and trees of both the ‘Chandler’ and ‘Sorrento’ varieties derived from the same location. The results demonstrated that ‘Sorrento’ and ‘Chandler’ walnuts have different biometric characteristics and a different fat content, with the highest fat content being found in the ‘Sorrento’ variety. Regarding the fatty acid (FA) composition, the content of monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids (MUFAs and SFAs) was highest in the ‘Sorrento’ variety (from 13 to 15% for MUFAs and from 11 to 13% for SFAs), while the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) content was highest in the ‘Chandler’ variety (77%). The total phenolics content (TPC) was highest in the ‘Sorrento’ variety (from 910 to 1230 mg GAE/100 g), while no difference in γ-tocopherol content was found. Furthermore, the influence of walnut area cultivation was shown for fat content, FA composition and TPC. Therefore, both walnut varieties demonstrated good nutritional properties considering the PUFAs and γ-tocopherol conten

Stable or plastic body shape? Emys orbicularis hatchlings-juveniles growth patterns under different ecological conditions.

To test if habitat could shape shell features of freshwater turtles starting from birth, we tested hatchlings of Emys orbicularis, randomly chosen from four clutches of the same locality, under two treatments, firm (pond habitat) vs running (river habitat) water regimes. Due to mortality at the beginning of the experiment, we finally considered only two clutches. Turtle shells were characterized at hatch and after one year of treatment by means of traditional and geometric morphometrics and phenotypic trajectories analysis were conducted on both types of data. Carapace growth was isometric both in proportion and shape, while plastron showed an allometric pattern: length increased more than width while the contour showed an expansion of the rear part and a compression of the front one. The hydrodynamic conditions during growth did not seem to affect the phenotypic trajectories of shell proportions nor those of plastron. On the contrary a significant effect was found on the phenotypic trajectory of carapace: the size component (but not the angle one) was positively influenced by the “pond” treatment, suggesting a different growth rate between the two environmental conditions. Hypotheses on possible ecological constraints derived from habitat conditions are presented and discussed

Forecast model for the evaluation of economic resources employed in the health care of patients with HIV infection

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The total health care cost for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients has constantly grown in recent years. To date, there is no information about how this trend will behave over the next few years. The aim of the present study is to define a pharmacoeconomic model for the forecast of the costs of a group of chronically treated patients followed over the period 2004-2009.; METHODS: A pharmacoeconomics model was built to describe the probability of transition among different health states and to modify the therapy over time. A Markov model was applied to evaluate the temporal evolution of the average cost. The health care resources exploited during hospitalization were analyzed by using an "activity-based costing" method.; RESULTS: The Markov model showed that the mean total cost, after an initial increase, tended to remain stable. A total of 20 clinical records were examined. The average daily cost for each patient was EUR 484.42, with a cost for admission of EUR 6781.88.; CONCLUSION: The treatment of HIV infection in compliance with the guidelines is also effective from the payer perspective, as it allows a good health condition to be maintained and reduces the need and the costs of hospitalizations

Soft-x-ray resonant scattering from V/Fe (001) magnetic superlattices

The magnetic properties of Fe and V in (n ML V / 5 ML Fe) (001) superlattices (n = 1, 2, and 5 ML) have been investigated by measuring the magnetization dependent scattering of elliptically polarized soft x rays at various scattering angles and for photon energies across the 2p x-ray-absorption edges of both Fe and V. A quantitative estimate of the magnetic moment induced on vanadium is obtained from the analysis of the resonant scattering data. [S0163-1829(99)50842-4]