The willingness to take action against climate change may be shaped by cultural orientations. The present study investigated individualist–collectivist differences in climate change inaction as well as the mediating role of perceived intractability. In Study 1, a survey of 182 undergraduates showed that greater perceived intractability of climate change was significantly related to a lower frequency of climate-friendly actions in the preceding 6 months. In Study 2, participants who were exposed to information concerning the intractability of climate change (experimental group, n = 98) reported a significantly greater perceived intractability of climate change and lower intention to assume a low-carbon lifestyle than those presented with neutral information (control group, n = 83). Based on Studies 1 and 2, participants with collectivist or individualist orientations were recruited from a pool of Chinese undergraduate students in Study 3. We found that participants with a more individualist orientation ( n = 62) are more subject to perceived intractability, and less likely to take climate-friendly action than those with a more collectivist orientation ( n = 94), and individualist/collectivist status affects climate change inaction through perceived intractability as mediator. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the promotion of public engagement with climate change by mitigating perceived intractability.

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Though microfluidic paper analytical devices (μPADs) have attracted paramounting attentions in recent years as promising devices for low cost point-of-care tests, their real applications for blood analysis are still challenged by integrating sample preparation with different detection modes on a same μPAD. Herein, we developed a novel μPAD, which well coupled automatic serum extraction with reliable dual mode iron health tests: fluorescent analysis for Fe and colorimetric ELISA for ferritin. All these functions are made available by in situ carbon dots (CDs) and AuNPs sequential patterning techniques. For CDs immobilization, hydrothermal reaction was taken on paper, to which a patterned through-hole polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mask was applied. None fluorescence CDs (nF-CDs) were generated on exposed regions, while the fluorescent CDs (F-CDs) were generated simultaneously on covered regions. Sensitive serum iron quantification was realized on the F-CDs modified regions, where Fe ion can selectively quench the fluorescence of F-CDs. For AuNPs immobilization, electroless plating was taken on nF-CDs modified regions. The resulting AuNPs on nF-CDs layer on one hand triggered the coagulation of blood cells and thus led to the longest ever wicking distance for serum separation, on the other hand facilitated colorimetric enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of serum ferritin. Combining the two readings, the μPAD can provide reliable measurement for serum iron and serum ferritin in whole blood. Furthermore, as CDs and AuNPs modified μPAD has the features of easy handling, low-cost, lightweight, and disposability, it is accounting for a promising prototype for whole blood point-of-care analysis.

The somatic marker hypothesis (SMH) has been utilized to demonstrate the role of emotion and somatic state in decision-making under uncertainty over the past two decades. Despite some debate, the SMH has provided not only a neurobiological framework for understanding emotion and decision-making but also a good empirical support for ecological rationality and embodied emotion. Unlike the traditional maximizing rationality and bounded satisficing rationality, the ecological rationality stresses that emotions should be brought to the decision-making process. The embodied emotion furthermore emphasizes that emotions are embodied in the body and the brain. On the other hand, behavioral decision-making has spawned many new interdisciplines, including neuroeconomics. In this case, the SMH could act as a bridge to translate the ecological rationality and the embodied emotion into emerging neuroeconomics. Thus, this mini-review article aims to propose an integrated framework for introducing ecological rationality and embodied emotion into the field of neuroeconomics by virtue of insights from the SMH.

We tested the effects of regulatory focus on the asymmetric perception of losses versus nongains and of gains versus nonlosses. In Experiment 1, situational regulatory focus was manipulated by a priming task and then participants evaluated the outcome fairness of different distribution scenarios. In Experiment 2, participants completed the Regulatory Focus Questionnaire and then evaluated the outcome fairness of various distribution scenarios. Results showed that: (a) The gains versus nonlosses asymmetry in perceived fairness was stronger with a situational promotion focus, and the losses versus nongains asymmetry in perceived unfairness was stronger with a situational prevention focus; (b) The losses versus nongains asymmetry in perceived unfairness was stronger with a chronic prevention focus, whereas the gains versus nonlosses asymmetry in perceived fairness was positive with both a chronic promotion focus and chronic prevention focus. Taken together, the findings demonstrate that a situational regulatory focus has more extensive effects than does a chronic regulatory focus on asymmetric perceptions of outcomes. These results offer insights for understanding the differences between chronic and situational regulatory focus.