Understanding Electric Bicycle Users’ Mode Choice Preference under Uncertainty: A Case Study of Shanghai

The electric bicycle is considered as an environmentally friendly mode, the market share of which is growing fast worldwide. Even in metropolitan areas which have a well-developed public transportation system, the usage of electric bicycles continues to grow. Compared with bicycles, the power transferred from the battery enables users to ride faster and have long-distance trips. However, research on electric bicycle travel behavior is inadequate. This paper proposes a cumulative prospect theory (CPT) framework to describe electric bicycle users’ mode choice behavior. Different from the long-standing use of utility theory, CPT considers travelers’ inconsistent risk attitudes. Six socioeconomic characteristics are chosen to discriminate conservative and adventurous electric bicycle users. Then, a CPT model is established which includes two parts: travel time and travel cost. We calculate the comprehensive cumulative prospect value (CPV) for four transportation modes (electric bicycle, bus, subway and private car) to predict electric bicycle users’ mode choice preference under different travel distance ranges. The model is further validated via survey data.

“Carpe Diem?”: Disjunction Effect of Incidental Affect on Intertemporal Choice

Incidental affect has an important impact on intertemporal choice (IC). This research aimed to test how positive incidental affect influences IC and its underlying mechanisms. We assumed that positive incidental affect may have a disjunction effect on IC that includes or excludes immediate time. Moreover, we examined the role of time perception for the effect of affect on IC. In Study 1, after undergoing affect priming by video clips, participants completed the IC task using a multiple staircase paradigm. Using Hierarchical Bayesian Modeling, we estimated the discount rate parameter by distinguishing “immediate” and “non-immediate” conditions of IC. The participants’ time perception was also measured. In Study 2, apart from the choice preference of IC, we additionally investigated the differences in the participants’ attention to delay and reward attributes before decision making. The results of the two studies indicated that positive incidental affect leads to longer time perception (Study 1) and prior and more attention to the delay attribute of IC (Study 2), which leads individuals to prefer immediate options in the IC (Studies 1 and 2). Moreover, there is a disjunction effect of affect; in other words, the incidental affect did not influence IC excluding immediate time (Studies 1 and 2). This study improves our understanding of the disjunctive effect and its mechanism of inducing a positive incidental affect on IC and thus provides a new perspective on how related decision making can be improved.

Flexible emotion regulatory selection when coping with COVID-19-related threats during quarantine

The COVID-19 pandemic poses significant emotional challenges that individuals need to select how to regulate. The present study directly examined how during the pandemic, healthy individuals select between regulatory strategies to cope with varying COVID-19-related threats, and whether an adaptive flexible regulatory selection pattern will emerge in this unique threatening global context. Accordingly, this two-study investigation tested how healthy individuals during a strict state issued quarantine, behaviorally select to regulate COVID-19-related threats varying in their intensity. Study 1 created and validated an ecologically relevant set of low and high intensity sentences covering major COVID-19 facets that include experiencing physical symptoms, infection threats, and social and economic consequences. Study 2 examined the influence of the intensity of these COVID-19-related threats, on behavioral regulatory selection choices between disengagement via attentional distraction and engagement via reappraisal. Confirming a flexible regulatory selection conception, healthy individuals showed strong choice preference for engagement reappraisal when regulating low intensity COVID-19-related threats, but showed strong choice preference for disengagement distraction when regulating high intensity COVID-19-related threats. These findings support the importance of regulatory selection flexibility for psychological resilience during a major global crisis.

Freight shipper’s mode choice preference for sustainable inland transportation

Modelling of transport mode choice preferencehas beencurrently regarded essential to identify the preference of transport agents towards a transport policy. This research proposes a model of the freight mode choice preference by using Stated Preference Methods for the data collection from industrial freight shippers in Gresik, Indonesia. This research examines how truck as an existing mode and rail as a sustainable mode alternative compete for goods movement. As the common feature of discrete choice models, the Binary Logit was utilized to analyze the data. The sensitivity of mode preferences was investigated by changing the shipping cost and hauling time. The results indicated that the respondents were sensitive to haul time and shipping cost. When the shipping cost and hauling time was similar, the probability of choosing a truck was 77%. However, the industrial freight shippers changed the preference when the truck’s shipping cost and haul time was higher than that in the train. The train had a 65% choosing probability when the cost difference was IDR 500,000 lower and the hauling time difference was two days faster than the truck. This study assisted the policymakers to correctly design the variables of shipping cost and hauling time for the future sustainable inland transportation based on freight shipper’s preferences.

Household Preferences for Investing in Crowdfunding

Using representative survey data on the Dutch population, we analyze households’ actual participation and stated preferences for crowdfunding involvement at the extensive and intensive margin, with emphasis on the relation with investing in socially responsible assets. We find that crowdfunding investors are higher educated and more future oriented than others, whereas risk aversion plays a negative but insignificant role. Financial literacy is positively associated with knowing about crowdfunding, but not with actual participation. A stated choice preference experiment largely confirms these relations. At the intensive margin, however, results are rather different: Women have a stronger preference for crowdfunding than men do. Financial literacy reduces the preferred share invested in crowdfunding. We find a strong positive relation between crowdfunding and socially responsible investing. We identify several common factors: a desire to contribute to improving society and a lack of confidence in traditional financial institutions. Comparing stated and revealed preferences, we find that the potential for attracting more crowdfunding funders is much smaller than for attracting socially responsible investors.

Prevalence and course of fear of childbirth during pregnancy and need for help in nulliparous women, HEAR study: a cohort study

Objective To determine the prevalence and course of fear of childbirth (FoC) according to gestational age and to identify risk factors for FoC, the influence of FoC on preferred mode of delivery and self-reported need for help. Study Design Cross-sectional and cohort study Setting Urban hospital, midwifery practices, social media, maternity websites. Population Nulliparous pregnant women May 2020-January 2021. Methods Participants completed an online survey. Women who completed the survey in the first or second trimester(T0) were approached again in their third trimester(T1). Questionnaires indexing FoC, social support, anxiety, depressive symptoms, self-reported need for help, and preferred mode of delivery were included. Main outcome measures Fear of childbirth, defined as W-DEQ A score ≥ 85 Results In total, 364 women were enrolled at T0, and 118 women were included in the longitudinal analysis. Cross-sectional analysis showed a prevalence of FoC of 18.4% with no significant difference between trimesters. In the longitudinal sample, prevalence of FoC decreased from 18.6%(T0) to 11.0%(T1), P=0.004. W-DEQ A mean scores decreased significantly, P<0.001, although 41 (34.7%) women showed an increase in scores. FoC was associated with elevated anxiety, less family support, prenatal care of the obstetrician by choice, preference for a cesarean section, and for pain relief. Women with FoC were more likely to actively seek for help compared to women without FoC. Conclusions While FoC is common, prevalence decreases over the course of pregnancy. Because women with FoC are actively seeking for help, this problem should be addressed better, and help should be offered.

PSV-B-24 Palatability assessment of graded levels of grain distillers dried yeast (GDDY) fed to healthy adult cats

Traditionally, yeast products have been added to companion animal diets to improve palatability. Grain distillers dried yeast (GDDY), a coproduct from ethanol production which contains yeast, may be a viable option in pet food. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of increasing levels of GDDY in cat diets compared to soybean meal. The control diet contained 15% soybean meal (CON) and GDDY was exchanged for soybean meal at either 5%, 10%, or 15% (5G, 10G, 15G). For each test, experimental treatments were compared to the control. Twenty cats were presented two bowls each containing approximately 100g of diet once daily for 2 days. Cats were given diet access for 4 hours and bowl placement was reversed on the second day. Total food consumption and first choice preference were recorded for each cat. Individual intake ratios (IR) were calculated (intake of each diet/total intake) and first choice (FC) was analyzed with a Chi2 test. When comparing 5G to CON, the IR was 0.970 with FC of 30/40 occasions (P = 0.0016). The IR for 10G was 0.538 and FC was 18/40 with no difference from the CON (P = 0.5271). The IR for 15G was 0.590 and FC was 19/40 with no difference from the CON (P = 0.7518). Overall, these results suggest that cats may prefer GDDY over soybean meal, but preference may be influenced by inclusion level with the greatest impact observed at 5% and no detrimental impact at 10 or 15%.

PSV-B-22 Evaluation of whole soybeans as an ingredient in dog diets: Canine palatability of extruded diets with graded levels of dehulled whole soybeans

Increasing the amount of liquid fat in the ration during extrusion can negatively affect product density and product expansion. High-fat ingredients, such as whole soybeans (WSB), may increase energy density while avoiding production issues. In a preliminary extrusion project, the addition of graded levels of WSB on food processing was evaluated. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of incremental addition of whole soybeans in dry dog food on palatability. Experimental diets were extruded with 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% WSB (WSB0, WSB10, WSB20, and WSB30, respectively). Palatability was determined with a 2-bowl test by beagle dogs (n = 20) for 2 days with each WSB diet compared to the WSB0. First choice preference and total food consumption were recorded for each dog. Individual intake ratios (IR) were calculated (intake of each diet/total intake). First choice (FC) was analyzed by a Chi2 probability, and the consumption of each diet was compared by a Wilcoxon signed rank test and a 2-way analysis of variance (2-way ANOVA). Dogs had greater (P &lt; 0.05) first choice for WSB diets relative to the WSB0, but there was no significant difference among treatments for the food consumption and intake ratio. When comparing WSB0 to WSB10, FC occurred in 13/40 occasions (P &lt; 0.05). The FC for WSB0 occurred in 12/40 occasions compared to WSB20 and in 11/40 occasions compared to WSB30 (P &lt; 0.05). Overall, dogs favored WSB diets over the control diet showing a higher score in the indication of aroma, but this did not result in higher consumption. In conclusion, palatability was not affected by the inclusion of WSB in the dry dog food.

Modelling Investment Choice Preference of Government Venture Capital Guiding Funds

The continuous development of the government venture capital guiding funds (hereinafter referred to as the “government guiding funds”) has provided financial support and development opportunities for the development of many small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and government guiding funds have been paid attention by more and more entrepreneurs and investors of SMEs. This paper takes the SMEs listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (“NEEQ,” known as the New Third Board) as a research sample, systematically examines the factors that influence the selection of investment objects of government guiding funds, and studies the preference of government guiding funds from the aspects of financial characteristics and corporate governance of SMEs. The research results show that on one hand, ownership concentration, date of establishment, and asset size are significantly related to government guiding funds, while the return on equity (ROE), the asset-liability ratio, liquidity of assets, growth rate of main business income, and the operating net profit ratio failed to pass the significance test; on the other hand, operating profit ratio, investment interests, asset size, and the amount of investment of government guiding funds are significantly related, while investment rounds, date of establishment, ownership concentration, ROE, asset-liability ratio, liquidity of assets, and operating net profit ratio failed the significance test.