The problem of how to maximize growth of wealth was solved over half a century ago by Kelly and Breiman: maximize the expected value of the logarithm of wealth after each period. However, as living organisms we have evolved to maximize gene replication, not wealth. Natural selection is a slow process, so our minds today are adapted to seeking our ultimate goal of reproduction in the environment...

The ability of neurons to differentially respond to specific temporal and spatial input patterns underlies information storage in neural circuits. One means of achieving spatial specificity is to restrict signaling molecules to particular subcellular compartments using anchoring molecules such as A-Kinase Anchoring Proteins (AKAPs). Disruption of protein kinase A (PKA) anchoring to AKAPs impair...

Using an online experiment, we investigate intertemporal preferences to infer people’s willingness accept negative interest rates (NIRs) on their savings. We find some tolerance of NIRs, i.e., people being willing hold money in the bank rather than spend it, thereby accepting less savings at future time. This strongly depends amount savings, time horizon, actual behavior, and anchoring. Specifi...

Monte Carlo simulation, experiment, and continuum theory are used to examine the anchoring exhibited by a nematic liquid crystal at a patterned substrate comprising a periodic array of rectangles that, respectively, promote vertical and planar alignment. It is shown that the easy axis and effective anchoring energy promoted by such surfaces can be readily controlled by adjusting the design of t...

The anchoring of microtubules (MTs) to subcellular structures is critical for cell shape, polarity, and motility. In mammalian cells, the centrosome is a prominent MT anchoring structure. A number of proteins, including ninein, p150Glued, and EB1, have been implicated in centrosomal MT anchoring, but the process is far from understood. Here we show that CAP350 and FOP (FGFR1 oncogene partner) f...

Subjective self-ratings reported by survey respondents are used frequently in the social sciences; examples of self-assessments are personal health, well-being, work ability, and job satisfaction. Unfortunately, self-ratings have been found to be subject to substantial reporting bias. The key problem is that subjective self-ratings involve respondents’ evaluation of some domain of their own obj...

It is well known that people take advantage of prior knowledge to bias decisions. To investigate this phenomenon behaviorally and in the brain, we acquired fMRI data while human subjects viewed ambiguous abstract shapes and decided whether a shape was of Category A (smoother) or B (bumpier). The decision was made in the context of one of two prior knowledge cues, 80/20 and 50/50. The 80/20 cue ...

Controlling charge transport through individual molecules and further understanding the effect of anchoring groups on charge transport are central themes in moleculebased devices. However, in most anchoring effect studies, only two, or at most three nonthiol anchoring groups were studied and compared for a specific system, i.e., using the same core structure. The scarcity of direct comparison d...