Individual Values Research Articles

The intrinsic moral value of individuals: A bioethical approach to domestic cats and damaged species

The domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) is present on all continents, but only in some regions of the earth it can be considered native. All domestic cats originated from SWA and Egypt and, in theory, can be considered alien species in the rest of the world. However, the expansion of the cat in the Old World has begun during the Neolithic and ended, hypothetically, a thousand years ago. This time is probably sufficient to allow predator-prey relationships to develop, unlike in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the New World, where the domestic cat was introduced between the early 1600 s and 1800 s. In these countries, the domestic cats do much more damage, contributing to the declines and, in some cases, to the extinction of vulnerable wild species, in particular on islands. But how can we define 'damage'? In biological terms, it is not possible to give a definition because ‘damage' is a human moral category. Consequently, decisions on the management of 'harmful' animal populations are entirely the prerogative of human beings and at the service of resolving the interests of the human species, which vary in different parts of the earth. Based on the most basic dictates of bioethics, the domestic cats deserve 'humane' methods of control because they are sentient animals capable of experiencing suffering and, as such, have intrinsic moral value. But prey are sentient animals, too. And, therefore, have intrinsic moral value as well and are bearers of interests. The problem of safeguarding domestic cats and wildlife survival and welfare of both is, at present, unsolved. There are several positions on this issue, and some of them are mentioned. Probably, there is no solution to this problem except to humanize the methods of controlling feral and owned domestic cats, and other species of super-predators and meso-predators, as much as possible, in order to safeguard the damaged prey species. To this aim, it is urgent to increase scientific research to make usable those methods, like genetic biocontrols and/or contraceptive baits to reduce cat fertility, that are already under study but not yet available.But it is time to give up with further hypocrisy: this is a problem created by human beings through their unwise behaviour and choices. Humans represent the most invasive vertebrate species and, in a way, their management of other species, including the domestic cat, is one of the many factors by which he has manifested his invasiveness.

Traumatic cervical spinal cord injury: Comparison of two different blood pressure targets on neurological recovery.

Controversy exists whether blood pressure augmentation therapy benefits patients suffering from spinal cord injury (SCI). This retrospective comparative study was designed to assess the impact of two different mean arterial pressure (MAP) targets (85-90 mmHg vs. 65-85 mmHg) on neurological recovery after traumatic cervical SCI. Fifty-one adult patients with traumatic cervical SCI were retrospectively divided into two groups according to their intensive care unit (ICU) MAP targets: 85-90 mmHg (higher MAP group, n = 32) and 65-85 mmHg (lower MAP group, n = 19). Invasive MAP measurements were stored as 2-min median values for 3-7 days. The severity of SCI (AIS grade and neurological level) was evaluated upon ICU stay and during rehabilitation. Neurological recovery was correlated with individual mean MAP values and with the proportion of MAP values ≥85 mmHg upon the first 3 days (3d-MAP%≥85 ). The initial AIS grades were A 29.4%, B 17.6%, C 31.4%, and D 21.6%. AIS grade improved in 24 patients (47.1%). During ICU care, 82.0% and 36.8% of the measured MAP values reached ≥85 mmHg in the higher and the lower MAP groups, respectively (p < .001). The medians of individual mean MAP values were different between the groups (90.2 mmHg vs. 81.4 mmHg, p < .001). Similarly, 3d-MAP%≥85 was higher in the higher MAP group (85.6% vs. 50.0%, p < .001). However, neurological recovery was not different between the groups, nor did it correlate with individual mean MAP values or 3d-MAP%≥85 . The currently recommended MAP target of 85-90 mmHg was not associated with improved outcomes compared to a lower target in patients with traumatic cervical SCI in this cohort.

Unseen Scars: The Intersection of School Bullying, Individualism, and Collectivism

Violence in schools occurs in both collectivist and individualist societies. This paper examined bullying in educational settings and the connection to individualism and collectivism. It reported how these concepts influence bullying behaviors. Data from the OECD indicated that around 23% of students in these countries face bullying several times a month. The main focus was on the impact of bullying on students' mental health, social relationships, and academic performance. The paper also explored the differences in bullying behaviors in cultures prioritizing group values (collectivism) versus individual values (individualism). In individualistic societies, bullied students might feel more isolated, while in collectivist societies, bullying might be less visible as individuals might not discuss their struggles in public. This study aimed to provide a clearer understanding of school bullying by considering both personal experiences and the wider cultural context. The findings were expected to contribute significantly to developing more effective anti-bullying strategies that consider both individual and group perspectives.

Numerical Modeling of Cutting Characteristics during Short Hole Drilling: Part 2—Modeling of Thermal Characteristics

The modeling of machining process characteristics and, in particular, of various cutting processes occupies a significant part of modern research. Determining the thermal characteristics in short hole drilling processes by numerical simulation is the object of the present study. For different contact conditions of the workpiece with the drill cutting inserts, the thermal properties of the machined material were determined. The above-mentioned properties and parameters of the model components were established using a three-dimensional finite element model of orthogonal cutting. Determination of the generalized values of the machined material thermal properties was performed by finding the set intersection of individual properties values using a previously developed software algorithm. A comparison of experimental and simulated values of cutting temperature in the workpiece points located at different distances from the drilled hole surface and on the lateral clearance face of the drill outer cutting insert shows the validity of the developed numerical model for drilling short holes. The difference between simulated and measured temperature values did not exceed 22.4% in the whole range of the studied cutting modes.

How discipline shapes the meaning of value creation in higher education; implications for enterprise, entrepreneurship and employability.

This paper sets out the importance of teaching contextualized understandings of value within different disciplinary contexts in order to enhance employability and to foster greater levels of engagement with enterprise and entrepreneurship education.&#x0D; Key research has recognised the broader benefits of enterprise and entrepreneurship education, including that of developing graduate employability. Yet enterprise and entrepreneurship may not feel comfortable or relevant to students (EEUK, 2012; Henry, 2013). It has been identified that students can better relate to enterprise and entrepreneurship when it is contextualised in professions, sectors and communities of practice, moving away from a focus on venture creation and start up (Gibb, 2005). We argue that taking an approach which is explicitly based on value creation is a crucial driver of student engagement with enterprise and entrepreneurship education. This needs to be based in students’ individual values, embedded in their disciplines, and related to the communities of practice which as graduates they will go on to be part of. When grounded in the creation of value at an individual, disciplinary, and societal level, enterprise and entrepreneurship education can appeal to a wider constituency of students. In this paper, we discuss how value creation is understood in three diverse academic disciplines, Business, Biomedical Science and Music. Building on key research and drawing on our extensive practice as educators, we argue that explicitly foregrounding understandings of value within our different disciplinary contexts and developing appropriately contextualized, experiential forms of value creation-based pedagogy, is key to student engagement and enhances graduate employability.

Early flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing after mechanical thrombectomy in stroke patients.

The aims of the study were to (1) characterize the findings of flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) in stroke patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy (MT); (2) analyse the screening performance of the Standardized Swallowing Assessment (SSA); and (3) study the impact of FEES-defined dysphagia on 3-month outcomes. This single-centre study was based on a local registry of consecutive acute ischaemic stroke patients undergoing MT during a 1-year period. Patients received FEES within 5 days of admission regardless of the result of dysphagia screening. We compared baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with and without FEES-defined dysphagia. We collected 3-month modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and individual index values of the European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D-iv). Using univariable and multivariable regression analyses we predicted 3-month outcomes for presence of dysphagia and for FEES-defined dysphagia severity. We included 137 patients with a median age of 74 years, 43.1% were female, median NIHSS was 12 and successful recanalization was achieved in 92.7%. Stroke-associated pneumonia occurred in 8% of patients. FEES-defined dysphagia occurred in 81% of patients. Sensitivity of the SSA as a dysphagia screening was 67%. Presence of dysphagia and increasing severity of dysphagia were independently associated with increasing 3-month mRS score. Increasing dysphagia severity dysphagia was independently associated with lower EQ-5D-iv. Early FEES-defined dysphagia occurs in four in every five patients undergoing MT. SSA has a suboptimal dysphagia screening performance. Presence of dysphagia and increasing dysphagia severity predict worse functional outcome and worse health-related quality-of-life.

Neural underpinnings of the interplay between actual touch and action imagination in social contexts.

While there is established evidence supporting the involvement of the sense of touch in various actions, the neural underpinnings of touch and action interplay in a social context remain poorly understood. To prospectively investigate this phenomenon and offer further insights, we employed a combination of motor and sensory components by asking participants to imagine exerting force with the index finger while experiencing their own touch, the touch of one another individual, the touch of a surface, and no touch. Based on the assumption that the patterns of activation in the motor system are similar when action is imagined or actually performed, we proceeded to apply a single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation over the primary motor cortex (M1) while participants engaged in the act of imagination. Touch experience was associated with higher M1 excitability in the presence and in the absence of force production imagination, but only during force production imagination M1 excitability differed among the types of touch: both biological sources, the self-touch and the touch of one other individual, elicited a significant increase in motor system activity when compared to touching a non-living surface or in the absence of touch. A strong correlation between individual touch avoidance questionnaire values and facilitation in the motor system was present while touching another person, indicating a social aspect for touch in action. The present study unveils the motor system correlates when the sensory/motor components of touch are considered in social contexts.

Cultural values, parenting and child adjustment in Sweden.

To examine whether mothers' and fathers' individualism, collectivism and conformity values are significantly related to parenting behaviours and child adjustment during middle childhood, mothers (n = 95), fathers (n = 72) and children (n = 98) in Sweden were interviewed when children were, on average, 10 years old. Mothers' collectivism was significantly correlated with mothers' and fathers' higher expectations for children's family obligations. Fathers' collectivism was significantly correlated with mothers' and fathers' higher warmth and with fathers' higher expectations for children's family obligations. Fathers' conformity values were significantly correlated with fewer child internalising problems. Fathers' higher collectivism was associated with more paternal warmth even after taking into account the other cultural values, child gender and fathers' education. Our findings indicate that individual-level cultural values are correlated with some aspects of parenting and child adjustment in Sweden.

The Impact of Different Value Types on Environmentally Responsible Behavior: An Empirical Study from Residents of National Park Communities in China

The construction of China’s national park system is an important part of the ecological civilization development strategy, and the behavior of the subjects in the national park has a great impact on its sustainable development. Environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) is considered an important aspect of national park management, and the impact of an individual’s held value on environmental behavior has received much attention. However, the assigned value (AV) of community residents in national park-specific situations has not been concerned, which is often closely related to resident behavior within national park. Therefore, we took the residents of four gateway communities (Qixi town, Hetian town, Changhong town, and Suzhuang town) in Qianjiangyuan national park (QNP), Zhejiang province as research subjects. Based on the value-belief-norm (VBN) model representing individual values, this study integrates the perceived social value of ecosystem services in the national park among community residents and analyzes their impact on ERB. The collected data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 23.0, and the structural model was validated using SmartPLS based on Partial Least Squares Regression. The research findings revealed that (1) the assigned value has a significant positive influence on the environmentally responsible behavior of community residents; (2) pro-environment personal norms are the strongest predictive variable of environmentally responsible behavior; and (3) biosphere value, altruistic value and personal norms have significant positive influence on the formation of the assigned value of community residents.

The demand for private telehealth services in low- and middle-income countries: Evidence from South Africa

In low- and middle-income countries, many believe that telehealth services could significantly expand access to doctors by offering remote access at low cost. Yet, despite its convenience, telehealth care is limited by the absence of physical examination, point-of-care testing, or immediate treatment. Hence it is unclear how individuals value such options compared to standard face-to-face care. We study this issue in South Africa with general practitioners who today mostly practice in the private sector and are geographically located in wealthier areas with higher health insurance coverage. We use an incentive-compatible method to elicit robust measures of willingness-to-pay (WTP) for telehealth and face-to-face consultations with general practitioners in a sample of uninsured individuals. We find that only 36% of respondents are willing to pay the prevailing market price for a telehealth consultation. We find average WTP for in-person consultations is only 10% higher than that of telehealth. Additionally, individuals with higher health needs are willing to pay a premium for face-to-face consultations, while others are indifferent. Our findings suggest that private telehealth services are better suited for more minor health needs, but are unlikely to expand access to a majority unless cheaper models are introduced.

Exploring the steps of learning: computational modeling of initiatory-actions among individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by difficulty in acting in a goal-directed manner. While most environments require a sequence of actions for goal attainment, ADHD was never studied in the context of value-based sequence learning. Here, we made use of current advancements in hierarchical reinforcement-learning algorithms to track the internal value and choice policy of individuals with ADHD performing a three-stage sequence learning task. Specifically, 54 participants (28 ADHD, 26 controls) completed a value-based reinforcement-learning task that allowed us to estimate internal action values for each trial and stage using computational modeling. We found attenuated sensitivity to action values in ADHD compared to controls, both in choice and reaction-time variability estimates. Remarkably, this was found only for first-stage actions (i.e., initiatory actions), while for actions performed just before outcome delivery the two groups were strikingly indistinguishable. These results suggest a difficulty in following value estimation for initiatory actions in ADHD.

Antecedents and consequences of procurement managers' willingness to pay for sustainability: a multi-level perspective

PurposeThe role of procurement managers is crucial for diffusing sustainability throughout the supply chain. Whether or not they are willing to pay for sustainability is an important and not yet fully understood question. The authors examine antecedents and consequences of their willingness to pay (WTP) for sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThe authors develop a multi-level framework to examine the WTP for sustainability in a B2B context. The authors test this multi-level framework with 372 procurement managers from multiple sectors and countries using partial least squares structural equation modeling.FindingsThe authors find that individual values of procurement managers and institutional pressures directly, while ethical organizational culture indirectly influence WTP for sustainability. Functional and cognitive competencies of procurement managers improve the sustainability of procurement, but not WTP for sustainability. Importantly, WTP for sustainability directly influences the performance of the procurement function which in turn is positively associated with increased organizational performance.Originality/valueThe study, examining the interplay between individual, organizational and contextual factors, provides empirical evidence on the pivotal role of procurement managers in diffusing sustainability throughout the supply chain. The findings of the study, on the one hand, contribute to the literature on operations management and sustainability, and on the other hand, guide policy and managerial actions.

THE STRATEGIES OF ARGUMENTATION IN POLITICAL SPEECHES

Background. Political discourse is the most value-oriented of other types of discourse. The most compelling political arguments during the presidential campaigns include four key criteria: democracy, moral persuasion, social questions and ideological problems. The current political discourse presents characterizations of events from the standpoint of individual values, party values, and personal interests. In this case, the concept of political/ideological characterizations is associated with a system of values, which determine the position of the subject of speech. Nowadays, argumentation is studied by a special method – the theory of argumentation, but at the same time it becomes an interest for linguistic research, because argumentation exists only in one of the forms of speeches.&#x0D; The purpose. Is to characterize the specific linguo-stylistic features of political speeches, identify the argumentation tools in the politicians’ speeches and analyze the ways and peculiarities of their translation, which help translators to preserve the completeness of the content and transmit the argumentation tools into the translation of political texts from English into Ukrainian.&#x0D; Methods. The following linguistic research methods were used in our study: descriptive method to describe the characteristics of argumentation tools and their equivalents, which were studied and comparative method to make comparisons between argumentation tools in source and target languages. &#x0D; Results. The functional specificity of political discourse in relation to other types of discourse is manifested in its basic instrumental function (the struggle for power). At the same time, political discourse, along with religious and advertising, is included in the group of discourses for which the regulatory function is leading, since it emphasizes the role of language in regulating the behavior of the. The main function of political discourse is to use it as an instrument of political power. Political communication performs the function of an intermediary link, often replacing physical violence itself and makes possible changes in society towards ordering, paves the way for compromises, making facts and arguments well-known for public. Various lexico-stylistic devices, figures and tropes emphasize the language of a political leader and have a direct impact on the image of politicians. It turned out that the main ones are: extensive usage of colloquial and slang vocabulary and composite words. We discovered the following stylistic figures: antithesis, inversion, ellipsis, parceling, repetitions and rhetorical questions. The most frequently used among them were repetitions, rhetorical questions and parceling. &#x0D; Discussion. The dominant aspect of the political discourse is the concept of value, which must be reproduced in the translated political text, taking into account the value hierarchy of different cultures. Translation includes several stages: first translator should understand and clearly explore what he/she translates, analyze (if the original text causes difficulties), and after that choose appropriate means of expression in the target language.The investigation of different lexico-stylistic devices, types of preservation of argumentation in the translation of political speeches of American politicians is not exhaustive and requires further study by structural, grammatical and morphological analysis.

The micro-foundations of ambidexterity for corporate social performance: A study on sustainability managers’ response to conflicting goals

Studies on corporate social performance advocate that interrelated yet conflicting goals, such as sustainability and profitability, give rise to specific dynamics and inherent tensions, and call for more research to investigate how the duality of goals is managed by specific individuals in organizations. Through a micro-foundational view of ambidexterity for corporate social performance, and by relying on a qualitative data analysis of 41 interviews with sustainability managers and their immediate stakeholders, both internal and external to their organization boundaries, we developed a multilevel model of sustainability managers' responses to conflicting goals. We discovered how sustainability managers enacted internal and external, long term and short term brokering behaviors, enabled by their individual values, multidisciplinary knowledge, and relational abilities and skills, although constrained by their organizational and institutional contexts. By taking into account simultaneously contextual forces and individual cognitive characteristics, we thus advance our understanding of sustainability managers’ behaviors towards ambidexterity for corporate social responsibility and of microfoundations for ambidexterity.

Cultural values, parenting and child adjustment in Italy.

The present study examined the association of mothers' and fathers' individualism, collectivism and conformity values with parenting behaviours and child adjustment during middle childhood in an Italian sample. Children (n = 194; 95 from Naples and 99 from Rome; 49% girls) were 10.93 years old (SD = .61) at the time of data collection. Their mothers (n = 194) and fathers (n = 152) also participated. Mother and father reports were collected about parental individualism and collectivism, conformity values, warmth, family obligations expectations and their children's internalising and externalising problems. Child reports were collected about their parents' warmth, psychological control, rules/limit-setting, family obligations expectations and their own internalising and externalising behaviours. Multiple regressions predicted each of the parenting and child adjustment variables from the value variables, controlling for child gender and parent education. Results showed that maternal collectivism was associated with high psychological control, parental collectivism was associated with high expectations regarding children's family obligations and fathers' conformity values were associated with more child internalising behaviours. Overall, the present study shed light on how parents' cultural values are related to some parenting practices and children's internalising problems in Italy.

Cultural values, parenting and child adjustment in Kenya.

Children's, mothers' and fathers' reports were used to assess whether mothers' and fathers' individualism, collectivism and conformity values are significantly related to parenting behaviours and child adjustment during middle childhood. A sample of 95 children, 95 mothers and 94 fathers was recruited from Kisumu, Kenya. Our results indicated that controlling for child gender and parents' education, mothers' and fathers' higher collectivism values were associated with higher expectations regarding children's family obligations. Children of mothers who were more individualistic perceived that less was required of them in terms of family obligations. Mothers' conformity values were associated with more maternal and paternal warmth, and higher maternal expectations regarding children's family obligations, controlling for child gender and mothers' education. Mothers' education was significantly associated with more maternal and paternal warmth, more parental knowledge solicitation and higher paternal expectations regarding children's family obligations. Fathers' and mothers' individualism was associated with lower expectations regarding children's family obligations. Fathers' individualism was positively correlated with knowledge solicitation and more rules/limit-setting. Fathers' higher conformity values were correlated with more maternal warmth, more paternal warmth, more knowledge solicitation and mothers' and fathers' higher expectations regarding children's family obligations.

The Impact of Social Media on Low-Income People

This paper explores the impact of social media on low-income people, especially in the context of the Internet celebrity economy. By analyzing the current development of social media and the trend of the Internet celebrity economy, the paper reveals how social media provides low-income people with opportunities to present themselves and improve their economic situation. Through specific cases, this paper shows how low-income people use social media to achieve identity and economic transformation, and the impact of this transformation on individual psychology and values. Finally, the paper analyzes the multifaceted impacts of social media on society, life, and the economy, including promoting social inclusion and diversity, improving the quality of life of low-income populations, and providing new economic growth points. This paper aims to gain a deeper understanding of the multiple impacts of social media and how it can be utilized to provide low-income people with more development opportunities and support for the continuous progress and development of society.

Genomic selection for target traits in the Australian lentil breeding program.

Genomic selection (GS) uses associations between markers and phenotypes to predict the breeding values of individuals. It can be applied early in the breeding cycle to reduce the cross-to-cross generation interval and thereby increase genetic gain per unit of time. The development of cost-effective, high-throughput genotyping platforms has revolutionized plant breeding programs by enabling the implementation of GS at the scale required to achieve impact. As a result, GS is becoming routine in plant breeding, even in minor crops such as pulses. Here we examined 2,081 breeding lines from Agriculture Victoria's national lentil breeding program for a range of target traits including grain yield, ascochyta blight resistance, botrytis grey mould resistance, salinity and boron stress tolerance, 100-grain weight, seed size index and protein content. A broad range of narrow-sense heritabilities was observed across these traits (0.24-0.66). Genomic prediction models were developed based on 64,781 genome-wide SNPs using Bayesian methodology and genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs) were calculated. Forward cross-validation was applied to examine the prediction accuracy of GS for these targeted traits. The accuracy of GEBVs was consistently higher (0.34-0.83) than BLUP estimated breeding values (EBVs) (0.22-0.54), indicating a higher expected rate of genetic gain with GS. GS-led parental selection using early generation breeding materials also resulted in higher genetic gain compared to BLUP-based selection performed using later generation breeding lines. Our results show that implementing GS in lentil breeding will fast track the development of high-yielding cultivars with increased resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as improved seed quality traits.

An Analysis of the Wave of Overseas Studying on College Graduates in First-tier Cities in China from the Perspective of Bourdieu's Theory of Class

Based on Bourdieus concepts of capital and habitus in his theory of class, this paper uses qualitative research methods to analyze the motivations for studying abroad and interpret the consciousness and perceptions of students growing up in China's first-tier urban areas. Through the analysis of personal interviews with five students from Beijing, Shenzhen, and Dongguan, three categories of motivation were summarized: perceived class, ubiquitous habitus, and unusual paths beyond habitus. The result indicates that studying abroad is not a mechanical inheritance from social class, but also an active self-pursuit from the spirit cultivated by capital, which is related to the self-expectation and realization of individual value. Therefore, studying abroad is a creative result of their growth process, and the experiences brought by studying abroad are breakthrough products of self-growth under social stratification.

Blood Pressure Trajectories and Outcomes After Endovascular Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Data on systolic blood pressure (SBP) trajectories in the first 24 hours after endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in acute ischemic stroke are limited. We sought to identify these trajectories and their relationship to outcomes. We combined individual-level data from 5 studies of patients with acute ischemic stroke who underwent EVT and had individual blood pressure values after the end of the procedure. We used group-based trajectory analysis to identify the number and shape of SBP trajectories post-EVT. We used mixed effects regression models to identify associations between trajectory groups and outcomes adjusting for potential confounders and reported the respective adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and common odds ratios. There were 2640 total patients with acute ischemic stroke included in the analysis. The most parsimonious model identified 4 distinct SBP trajectories, that is, general directional patterns after repeated SBP measurements: high, moderate-high, moderate, and low. Patients in the higher blood pressure trajectory groups were older, had a higher prevalence of vascular risk factors, presented with more severe stroke syndromes, and were less likely to achieve successful recanalization after the EVT. In the adjusted analyses, only patients in the high-SBP trajectory were found to have significantly higher odds of early neurological deterioration (aOR, 1.84 [95% CI, 1.20-2.82]), intracranial hemorrhage (aOR, 1.84 [95% CI, 1.31-2.59]), mortality (aOR, 1.75 [95% CI, 1.21-2.53), death or disability (aOR, 1.63 [95% CI, 1.15-2.31]), and worse functional outcomes (adjusted common odds ratio,1.92 [95% CI, 1.47-2.50]). Patients follow distinct SBP trajectories in the first 24 hours after an EVT. Persistently elevated SBP after the procedure is associated with unfavorable short-term and long-term outcomes.