Examining the association between delay discounting,delay aversion and physical activity in Chinese adults with type-2 diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND The role of physical activity in diabetes is critical,influencing this disease's development,man-agement,and overall outcomes.In China,22.3%of adults do not meet the minimum level of physical activity recommended by the World Health Organization.Therefore,it is imperative to identify the factors that contributing to lack of physical activity must be identified.AIM To investigate the relationship among delay discounting,delay aversion,glycated hemoglobin(HbA1c),and various levels of physical activity in Chinese adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).METHODS In 2023,400 adults with T2DM were recruited from the People's Hospital of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province.A face-to-face questionnaire was used to gather demographic data and details on physical activity,delay discounting,and delay aversion.In addition,HbA1c levels were measured in all 400 participants.The primary independent variables considered were delay discounting and delay aversion.The outcome variables included HbA1c levels and different intensity levels of physical activity,including walking,moderate physical activity,and vigorous physical activity.Multiple linear regression models were utilized to assess the relationship between delay discounting,delay aversion,and HbA1c levels,along with the intensity of different physical activity measured in met-hours per week.RESULTS After controlling for the sample characteristics,delay discounting was negatively associated with moderate physical activity(β=-2.386,95%CI:-4.370 to-0.401).Meanwhile,delay aversion was negatively associated with the level of moderate physical activity(β=-3.527,95%CI:-5.578 to-1.476)in the multiple linear regression model,with statistically significant differences.CONCLUSION Elevated delay discounting and increased delay aversion correlated with reduced levels of moderate physical activity.Result suggests that delay discounting and aversion may influence engagement in moderate physical activity.This study recommends that health administration and government consider delay discounting and delay aversion when formulating behavioral intervention strategies and treatment guidelines involving physical activity for patients with T2DM,which may increase participation in physical activity.This study contributes a novel perspective to the research on physical activity in adults with T2DM by examining the significance of future health considerations and the role of emotional responses to delays.

Uncertainty aversion and farmers' innovative seed adoption:Evidence from a field experiment in rural China

Based on the microdata of 705 wheat farmers in the Loess Plateau, this study empirically analyzes the impact of uncertainty on farmers' adoption of innovative seeds using a field experiment. The results indicate that farmers are generally ambiguity-averse and risk-averse. In addition, farmers with higher ambiguity aversion and risk aversion are less likely to adopt innovative wheat seeds, where their risk aversion plays a dominant role. Enhancing information access will alleviate the negative influence of ambiguity aversion on farmers' adoption of innovative seeds, and interlinked insurance and credit contracts will be beneficial to ease the adverse effect of risk aversion on the adoption of innovative wheat seeds. Meanwhile, heterogeneity analysis reveals that the inhibitory effects of ambiguity aversion and risk aversion on innovative seed adoption are more significant among farmers with lower education and household income.The government can establish both ex-ante and ex-post relevant guarantee mechanisms to help farmers preferably cope with various uncertainties in the production process, remitting farmers' ambiguity aversion and risk aversion to enhance new agricultural technology adoption rates.

Applications of the Aversion Order of Risks in Reinsurance

The aversion order is a way of ordering of risks. Is there the optimal in aversion order in reinsurance contracts of reinsurance？ This paper discusses these objects and gives some optimal reinsurance contracts in certain sets of feasible reinsurance contracts.

Conditioned Taste Aversion Diminishes Sugar Intake

Animals learn to avoid particular food when some of its sensory properties are associated with gastrointestinal discomfort. Twenty rats were exposed to free access to food and a sugar solution for ten days in first phase. During second phase, experimental group received a dose of LiCl. Control group received an injection without LiCl. Both groups had free access to a sugar solution and food restriction for three days. In the final phase, both groups returned to the conditions of first phase. Results showed a significant decrease in sugar intake after aversive conditioning regarding the intake registered in the initial phase in experimental group. Control group did not show any differences in its sugar intake before and after the experimental manipulation. The procedure carried out is discussed as a means to decrease sugar intake.

Value-at-risk under ambiguity aversion

This study explored the effects of ambiguity on the calculation of Value-at-Risk(VaR)using a mathematical model based on the theory of Choquet-Brownian processes.It was found that while a moderate degree of ambiguity aversion yields a higher value for VaR and Expected Shortfall(ES),the result can be reversed in a deeply ambiguous environment.Additionally,some sufficient conditions are provided for the preservation of this effect under various forms of risk aggregation.This study offers a new perspective to full awareness on capital requirement calculation as requested by international regulation.

Maximum Group Perceived Utility Consensus Models Considering Regret Aversion

In the consensus-reaching process(CRP),the actual utility of decision-makers(DMs)is often influenced by the psychological behavior of regret aversion.However,the influence of regret aversion on DMs’utilities is rarely taken into account in the existing consensus models.The consensus-reaching problem of DMs with regret aversion is explored to maximize their perceived utilities under a limited budget.Firstly,three basic types of perceived utility functions are constructed based on the regret theory to describe the perceived utility of DMs with various preferences.Then,considering the limited budget and individual regret aversion,the maximum perceived utility consensus models based on types of left-skewed,right-skewed,middle-skewed,and heterogeneous utility preferences are proposed to achieve the consensus that maximizes the group perceived utility.After that,an example of land-transfer price negotiation in China is given to illustrate the validity of the proposed models.Finally,the model comparison and the sensitivity analysis are presented to reveal the influence of DMs’regret aversion on the CRP.The results suggest that the DMs’regret aversion will not affect left-skewed and right-skewed groups,but will affect the consensus results of middle-skewed and heterogeneous groups.

The GABA Antagonist Picrotoxin Attenuates an Ethanol-Induced Taste Aversion in Taste Aversion-Prone Rats

The aversive properties of alcohol can be examined by using ethanol as a conditioning agent in a taste aversion (TA) paradigm. However, there is often variability in how organisms respond to the aversive properties of alcohol. Using a selectively bred line of TA-prone (TAP) rats, the present study sought to determine if antagonizing the GABA receptor complex with picrotoxin could block the acquisition of an ethanol-based conditioned aversion to a normally preferred fluid. Fifty TAP rats were randomly divided into 5 groups. In the two experimental groups, rats were pretreated with i.p. injections of low or high doses of the GABA Aantagonist picrotoxin prior to undergoing taste aversion conditioning —wherein consumption of a novel saccharin solution (0.1%) was followed by an i.p. injection of ethanol (1.5 mg/kg). In the primary control group, rats were treated identically, except that isotonic saline was substituted for picrotoxin. In the non-conditioning and pseudo-conditioning control groups, rats did not receive an ethanol-saccharin pairing but did receive a picrotoxin injection. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that animals in the picrotoxin groups displayed significantly weaker TAs than the primary control group (p 0.05) as measured by post-conditioning, two-bottle saccharin preference scores. Picrotoxin hinders the acquisition of an ethanol-induced TA, thereby supporting the hypothesis that the GABA system plays a central role in ethanol’s motivational effects. Possible mechanisms include 1) picrotoxin attenuates negative effects of ethanol, 2) picrotoxin interferes with the central associative processes that promote TA conditioning or 3) some combination of 1 and 2.

An Examination of the Validity of the Differentiation-of-Self Hypothesis and Its Mechanism Related to Negative Life Event Aversion among Japanese University Students

This study examined the validity of the differentiation-of-self hypothesis for Japanese university students, and its mechanism in relation to negative life event aversion. Although the differentiation-of-self hypothesis is accepted as one of the basic hypotheses in the clinical field of family therapy in Japan, empirical studies on the subject are scarce. Further, there are few studies, internationally, on its mechanism. A questionnaire survey was conducted with university students (n = 250) to measure their differentiation of self, maladaptive states, and negative life event aversion. Compared to the better-differentiated group, the less-differentiated group had higher scores both for maladaptive states—somatic symptoms (t(223) = -2.70, p = 0.008), social dysfunction (t(211.00) = -3.30, p = 0.001), and severe depression (t(208.78) = -4.08, p < 0.001)—and negative life event aversion—interpersonal domain (t(223) = -3.96, p < 0.001) and achievement domain (t(223) = -3.83, p < 0.001). The results supported the validity of the differentiation-of-self hypothesis for Japanese university students, and that cognitive tendencies toward negative life events may be part of the mechanism for less-differentiated individuals’ subsequent vulnerability. This suggests the effectiveness of cognitive interventions.

Some Likelihood Based Properties in Large Samples: Utility and Risk Aversion, Second Order Prior Selection and Posterior Density Stability

The likelihood function plays a central role in statistical analysis in relation to information, from both frequentist and Bayesian perspectives. In large samples several new properties of the likelihood in relation to information are developed here. The Arrow-Pratt absolute risk aversion measure is shown to be related to the Cramer-Rao Information bound. The derivative of the log-likelihood function is seen to provide a measure of information related stability for the Bayesian posterior density. As well, information similar prior densities can be defined reflecting the central role of likelihood in the Bayes learning paradigm.

The risk aversion measures in Architectural Engineering Project Management

With the continuous development of the construction industry, the scale and volume of the construction project is expanding. And the project management of the construction project still has the big risk problem which influenced by many factors. These risks will not only bring unnecessary interference to the construction of the project, but also may jeopardize the safety of people＇s life and property. It is the focus of this article to do a good job in risk aversion in the management of construction projects.

Systematic Reform and Risk Aversion in the Interregional Flow of Chinese Rural Labor Force --Wuhan Case Study

Based on Wuhan city investigation, this paper makes a positive analysis to the uncertainty of shifting rural labors to urban areas, and put forward thoughts and countermeasures to avert the risk of the interregional flow of rural labors.

Quality disclosure strategies for small business enterprises under consumer loss aversion

In this paper,we focus on small business enterprises(SBEs)that usually have low market power but can rely on retailers to transact sales and gain the ability to disclose quality information.Moreover,consumer loss aversion(CLA)is pronounced when buying from SBEs that have yet to develop a strong reputation and uncertain quality.We focus on two competing SBEs with heterogeneous quality levels and discuss their quality disclosure strategiesd whether selling through a retailerd in the context of CLA.We study the interaction between consumers'prior belief in product quality and CLA and how these factors affect equilibrium outcomes.We show that a situation in which low-quality and high-quality SBEs both choose to disclose will not occur under a neutral consumer attitude,i.e.,it happens only when the aversion level is significant.When the aversion level is low,either the low-quality SBE or the high-quality SBE will decide to disclose,and the disclosing party depends on the prior belief.In addition,CLA significantly impacts the monotonicity of both SBEs'and retailers'prices and profits relating to the consumers'prior beliefs.

Psychological Heterogeneity in a Queue:The Impact of Loss Aversion on Service Pricing

The authors consider an M/M/1 queue with two types of customers,where customers are classified into two categories according to their psychological feelings when facing uncertainty about queue information.In the unobservable queue,experienced customers could accurately calculate their expected utilities,while first-time customers are loss-averse and the psychological feelings could incur additional gain-loss utilities.By defining customers'willingness to pay,the authors derive the equilibrium joining-balking behaviors for each type of customer and obtain the service provider's optimal pricing decision.The authors also classify the implications of the obtained results.

Increased CXCL13 and CXCR5 in Anterior Cingulate Cortex Contributes to Neuropathic Pain-Related Conditioned Place Aversion

Pain consists of sensory-discriminative and emotional-affective components.The anterior cingulate cortex(ACC)is a critical brain area in mediating the affective pain.However,the molecular mechanisms involved remain largely unknown.Our recent study indicated that C-X-C motif chemokine 13(CXCL13)and its sole receptor CXCR5 are involved in sensory sensitization in the spinal cord after spinal nerve ligation(SNL).Whether CXCL13/CXCR5 signaling in the ACC contributes to the pathogenesis of pain-related aversion remains unknown.Here,we showed that SNL increased the CXCL13 level and CXCR5 expression in the ACC after SNL.Knockdown of CXCR5 by microinjection of Cxcr5 shRNA into the ACC did not affect SNL-induced mechanical allodynia but effectively alleviated neuropathic painrelated place avoidance behavior.Furthermore,electrophysiological recording from layer Ⅱ-Ⅲ neurons in the ACC showed that SNL increased the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents(sEPSCs),decreased the EPSC paired-pulse ratio,and increased the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor/N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor ratio,indicating enhanced glutamatergic synaptic transmission.Finally,superfusion of CXCL13 onto ACC slices increased the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous EPSCs.Pre-injection of Cxcr5 shRNA into the ACC reduced the increase in glutamatergic synaptic transmis sion induced by SNL.Collectively,these results suggest that CXCL13/CXCR5 signaling in the ACC is involved in neuropathic pain-related aversion via synaptic potentiation.

Supply Chain Coordination with Sales Effort Effects and Impact of Loss Aversion on Effort Decision

A new supply contract based on sharing the sales profits as well as the cost of effort was devel- oped to coordinate the supply chain with sales effort effects. The contract coordinates the supplier’s actions with voluntary compliance; the contract is symmetric in the sense that both the supplier’s and retailer’s prof- its are linearly correlated and is more easily implemented in some situations. The impact of the retailer’s loss aversion on his effort is investigated based on the contract. After characterizing the retailer’s optimal solutions, this paper demonstrates that contrary to intuition, loss aversion weakens incentives for retailer’s sales effort and the retailer’s optimal effort decreases as the loss aversion increases.

Projections from D2 Neurons in Different Subregions of Nucleus Accumbens Shell to Ventral Pallidum Play Distinct Roles in Reward and Aversion

The nucleus accumbens shell(NAcSh) plays an important role in reward and aversion. Traditionally, NAc dopamine receptor 2-expressing(D2) neurons are assumed to function in aversion. However, this has been challenged by recent reports which attribute positive motivational roles to D2 neurons. Using optogenetics and multiple behavioral tasks, we found that activation of D2 neurons in the dorsomedial NAcSh drives preference and increases the motivation for rewards, whereas activation of ventral NAcSh D2 neurons induces aversion. Stimulation of D2 neurons in the ventromedial NAcSh increases movement speed and stimulation of D2 neurons in the ventrolateral NAc Sh decreases movement speed. Combining retrograde tracing and in situ hybridization, we demonstrated that glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in the ventral pallidum receive inputs differentially from the dorsomedial and ventral NAcSh. All together, these findings shed light on the controversy regarding the function of NAcSh D2 neurons, and provide new insights into understanding the heterogeneity of the NAcSh.

Pricing Decisions in Dual-Channel Closed-Loop Supply Chain Under Retailer’s Risk Aversion and Fairness Concerns

This paper studies the price decisions in a dual-channel closed-loop supply chain with a risk-averse retailer and a risk-neutral manufacturer by modeling and analyzing three cases:(1)the retailer does not have fairness concerns;(2)the retailer has fairness concerns and the manufacturer considers it;and(3)the retailer has fairness concerns and the manufacturer does not consider it.The effects of risk aversion and fairness concerns on the pricing decisions,profits and demand are examined in differing scenarios.

Conditioned taste aversions

When one becomes ill after consuming a meal, there is a propensity to target a particular taste as the cause of the illness. The qualities of the taste most likely targeted include more novel, less preferred, and higher protein content. This association between a particular taste and illness is a form of learning that is termed conditioned taste aversion (CTA). A consequence of the learned association is that the taste will become aversive. When experiencing the taste again, individuals will show aversive reactions such as expressions of loathing, will experience mimicked illness sensations such as nausea, and subsequently, will avoid further exposure to the taste. The ability to acquire CTA occurs across species and across ages within a species. In the rat animal model, however, age differences exist in the capability of acquiring CTAs when increasingly longer intervals are imposed between consumption of a novel sweet solution and onset of illness. Pups have a decreased ability compared to young adults while aged rats have an increased ability. Evidence suggests that the failure of pups to acquire CTA at longer intervals is due to an immature retrieval mechanism and the facili-tated ability of aged rats is due to a compromised clock mechanism that tracks the passage of time. Learned taste-illness association serves the critical function of informing individuals of the toxic nature of certain foods, thus preventing further illness and potentially death. Additionally, it contributes to the hypophagia observed during cancer chemotherapy and may contribute to the hypophagia found while suffering from bacterial infection, chronic med-ical conditions such as cancer, and restrictive food intake disorders such as anorexia nervosa.

Time-Consistent Portfolio Policy for Asset-Liability Mean-Variance Model with State-Dependent Risk Aversion

In reality,when facing a multi-period asset-liability portfolio selection problem,the risk aversion attitude of a mean-variance investor may depend on the wealth level and liability level.Thus,in this paper,we propose a state-dependent risk aversion model for the investor,in which risk aversion is a linear function of current wealth level and current liability level.Due to the time inconsistency of the resulting multi-period asset-liability mean-variance model,we investigate its time-consistent portfolio policy by solving a nested mean-variance game formulation.We derive the analytical time-consistent portfolio policy,which takes a linear form of current wealth level and current liability level.We also analyze the influence of the risk aversion coefficients on the time-consistent portfolio policy and the investment performance via a numerical example.

Eliciting conditioned taste aversion in lizards:Live toxic prey are more effective than scent and taste cues alone

Conditioned taste aversion(CTA)is an adaptive learning mechanism whereby a consumer associates the taste of a certain food with symptoms caused by a toxic substance,and thereafter avoids eating that type of food.Recently,wildlife researchers have employed CTA to discourage native fauna from ingesting toxic cane toads(Rhinella marina),a species that is invading tropical Australia.In this paper,we compare the results of 2 sets of CTA trials on large varanid lizards(“goannas,”Varanus panoptes).One set of trials(described in this paper)exposed recently-captured lizards to sausages made from cane toad flesh,laced with a nausea-inducing chemical(lithium chloride)to reinforce the aversion response.The other trials(in a recently-published paper,reviewed herein)exposed free-ranging lizards to live juvenile cane toads.The effectiveness of the training was judged by how long a lizard survived in the wild before it was killed(fatally poisoned)by a cane toad.Both stimuli elicited rapid aversion to live toads,but the CTA response did not enhance survival rates of the sausage-trained goannas after they were released into the wild.In contrast,the goannas exposed to live juvenile toads exhibited higher long-term survival rates than did untrained conspecifics.Our results suggest that although it is relatively easy to elicit short-term aversion to toad cues in goannas,a biologically realistic stimulus(live toads,encountered by free-ranging predators)is most effective at buffering these reptiles from the impact of invasive toxic prey.