Can Sophie's Choice Be Adequately Captured by Cold Computation of Minimizing Losses? An fMRI Study of Vital Loss Decisions

The vast majority of decision-making research is performed under the assumption of the value maximizing principle. This principle implies that when making decisions, individuals try to optimize outcomes on the basis of cold mathematical equations. However, decisions are emotion-laden rather than cool and analytic when they tap into life-threatening considerations. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this study investigated the neural mechanisms underlying vital loss decisions. Participants were asked to make a forced choice between two losses across three conditions: both losses are trivial (trivial-trivial), both losses are vital (vital-vital), or one loss is trivial and the other is vital (vital-trivial). Our results revealed that the amygdala was more active and correlated positively with self-reported negative emotion associated with choice during vital-vital loss decisions, when compared to trivial-trivial loss decisions. The rostral anterior cingulate cortex was also more active and correlated positively with self-reported difficulty of choice during vital-vital loss decisions. Compared to the activity observed during trivial-trivial loss decisions, the orbitofrontal cortex and ventral striatum were more active and correlated positively with self-reported positive emotion of choice during vital-trivial loss decisions. Our findings suggest that vital loss decisions involve emotions and cannot be adequately captured by cold computation of minimizing losses. This research will shed light on how people make vital loss decisions

Nanoporous silica-supported nanometric palladium: synthesis, characterization, and catalytic deep oxidation of benzene

In this present study, nanoporous silica SBA-15 supported palladium catalysts are prepared through two different methods. The catalysts are employed for catalytic deep oxidation reaction of benzene at a high gas hourly space velocity of 100 000 h-1. It is found that the traditional aqueous impregnation method has some difficulties and disadvantages in obtaining highly dispersed palladium active phases. Whereas, when a grafting procedure is employed, palladium tends to be highly dispersed as nanoparticles due to the confinement of the nanosized pore channels of the support materials. The catalysts prepared via the grafting procedure catalyze the benzene oxidation far more effectively than those prepared via aqueous impregnation method, and complete conversion of benzene can be achieved below 190 °C over the most active catalyst. The nanoporous silica-supported palladium catalysts are promising materials for the control of some types of VOCs such as benzene