Feel good, do-good!? On consistency and compensation in moral self-regulation

Studies in the behavioral ethics and moral psychology traditions have begun to reveal the important roles of self-related processes that underlie moral behavior. Unfortunately, this research has resulted in two distinct and opposing streams of findings that are usually referred to as moral consistency and moral compensation. Moral consistency research shows that a salient self-concept as a moral person promotes moral behavior. Conversely, moral compensation research reveals that a salient self-concept as an immoral person promotes moral behavior. The present study’s aim was to integrate these two literatures. We argued that compensation forms a reactive, “damage control” response in social situations, whereas consistency derives from a more proactive approach to reputation building and maintenance. Two experiments supported this prediction in showing that cognitive depletion (i.e., resulting in a reactive approach) results in moral compensation whereas consistency results when cognitive resources are available (i.e., resulting in a proactive approach). Experiment 2 revealed that these processes originate from reputational (rather than moral) considerations by showing that they emerge only under conditions of accountability. It can thus be concluded that reputational concerns are important for both moral compensation and moral consistency processes, and that which of these two prevails depends on the perspective that people take: a reactive or a proactive approach

Being “in Control” May Make You Lose Control: The Role of Self-Regulation in Unethical Leadership Behavior

In the present article, we argue that the constant pressure that leaders face may limit the willpower required to behave according to ethical norms and standards and may therefore lead to unethical behavior. Drawing upon the ego depletion and moral self-regulation literatures, we examined whether self-regulatory depletion that is contingent upon the moral identity of leaders may promote unethical leadership behavior. A laboratory experiment and a multisource field study revealed that regulatory resource depletion promotes unethical leader behaviors among leaders who are low in moral identity. No such effect was found among leaders with a high moral identity. This study extends our knowledge on why organizational leaders do not always conform to organizational goals. Specifically, we argue that the hectic and fragmented workdays of leaders may increase the likelihood that they violate ethical norms. This highlights the necessity to carefully schedule tasks that may have ethical implications. Similarly, organizations should be aware that overloading their managers with work may increase the likelihood of their leaders transgressing ethical norms

Out of Control!? How Loss of Self-Control Influences Prosocial Behavior: The Role of Power and Moral Values

Lack of self-control has been suggested to facilitate norm-transgressing behaviors because of the operation of automatic selfish impulses. Previous research, however, has shown that people having a high moral identity may not show such selfish impulses when their self-control resources are depleted. In the present research, we extended this effect to prosocial behavior. Moreover, we investigated the role of power in the interaction between moral identity and self-control depletion. More specifically, we expected that power facilitates the externalization of internal states, which implies that for people who feel powerful, rather than powerless, depletion decreases prosocial behavior especially for those low in moral identity. A laboratory experiment and a multisource field study supported our predictions. The present finding that the interaction between self-control depletion and moral identity is contingent upon people’s level of power suggests that power may enable people to refrain from helping behavior. Moreover, the findings suggest that if organizations want to improve prosocial behaviors, it may be effective to situationally induce moral values in their employees

Enhanced microbiological safety of acidified infant formulas tested in vitro

Objectives. To determine growth behaviour of pathogens and spoilage micro-organisms in infant formulas after reconstitution, and comparison of the bacteriostatic effect of acidified formulas obtained through fermentation or by direct addition of lactic acid. Design. Four commercially available infant formulas were deliberately contaminated with eight different pathogens and stored at 4, 25 or 37°C. Growth of the micro-organisms was followed by enumeration after 0, 3 and 6 hours. In a second challenge test the fate of pathogens added to a fermented infant formula was compared with that of pathogens in a non-fermented acidified formula. Results. After a lag phase of a few hours, most of the examined micro-organisms grew well in the pH-neutral products at 37°C. At 25°C growth was clearly retarded and at 4°C no significant growth was detected within 6 hours. Fermented formula exerted an inhibitory effect on all micro-organisms. The same effect was observed with a non-fermented acidified formula. Conclusions. Because pH-neutral reconstituted infant formulas may support rapid growth of many undesirable micro-organisms, including pathogens, utmost care should be taken to prevent contamination, and storage under conditions favouring growth of pathogens should be avoided. Alternatively, prevention of rapid microbial proliferation in infant formulas may be achieved by acidification, either through fermentation or by direct addition of lactic acid, provided that the pH is lower than 5.0. South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol.17(3) 2004: 87-9

Pengembangan Sistem Informasi Produksi pada Nikko Bakery

Nikko Bakery merupkan Perusahaan produksi roti yang berawal dari industri rumahan yang menggunakan sistem konvensional dalam kegiatan produksi sehari-hari. Seiring berjalannya waktu, peningkatan kapasitas produksi menyebabkan informasi ketersediaan bahan baku merupakan hal yang harus diperhatikan untuk peningkatan efisiensi dan mencegah kekurangan bahan baku. Aplikasi ini dapat menghasilkan perhitungan penggunaan bahan baku yang akan mempermudah bagian produksi agar tidak terjadinya pemborosan bahan baku, peringatan akan stok bahan baku yang sudah sampai batas minimum yang berguna dalam menghemat waktu produksi, pembuatan work order yang akan memudahkan bagian produksi dalam memastikan barang apa saja yang akan diproduksi, pembuatan pesanan yang berfungsi untuk menampung seluruh pesanan pelanggan, pembuatan list customer dan supplier yang berfungsi untuk menyimpan seluruh data customer maupun supplier, serta laporan pendukung lainnya

An Outlook on the Localisation and Structure-Function Relationships of R Proteins in Solanum

The co-evolution of plants and plant-pathogens shaped a multi-layered defence system in plants, in which Resistance proteins (R proteins) play a significant role. A fundamental understanding of the functioning of these R proteins and their position in the broader defence system of the plant is essential. Sub-project 3 of the BIOEXPLOIT programme studies how R proteins are activated upon effector recognition and how recognition is conveyed in resistance signalling pathways, using the solanaceous R proteins Rx1 (from S. tuberosum spp. andigena; conferring extreme resistance against Potato Virus X), I-2 (from S. lycopersicon; mediating resistance to Fusarium oxysporum) and Mi-1.2 (from S. lycopersicon; conferring resistance to Meloidogyne incognita) as model systems. The results obtained in this project will serve as a model for other R proteins and will be translated to potential applications or alternative strategies for disease resistance. These include the modification of the recognition specificity of R proteins with the aim to obtain broad spectrum resistance to major pathogens in potato

Assessing motor skills to inform a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder diagnosis focusing on persons older than 12 years: A systematic review of the literature

Background Motor impairments are one of the difficulties present in people prenatally exposed to alcohol, and are included in the diagnostic criteria for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Objectives The aim of this review was to examine the extent and common types of motor impairment present in persons aged over 12 years prenatally exposed to alcohol as evidence for determining the skills that should be assessed and addressed in intervention. Methods A systematic review of curren t evidence using various electronic databases was conducted. Studies were appraised using a recognized clinical appraisal tool. Results Seven studies published between 1998 and 2014 met the inclusion criteria. There is some evidence that difficulties with fine motor skills, visual motor integration, and balance skills persist in people who have been prenatally exposed to alcohol. Most studies did not focus on adolescent or adult participants in isolation, making it difficult to generalize results. Varied methodological designs made it difficult to compare studies as few used common standardized assessments. Conclusion A review of functional difficulties in each individual would be required to determine if a motor assessment is warranted. Further research is required using assessments recommended in diagnostic guidelines to determine the common motor difficulties seen in adolescents and adults

Identification of major factors influencing ELISpot-based monitoring of cellular responses to antigens from mycobacterium tuberculosis

A number of different interferon-c ELISpot protocols are in use in laboratories studying antigen-specific immune responses. It is therefore unclear how results from different assays compare, and what factors most significantly influence assay outcome. One such difference is that some laboratories use a short in vitro stimulation period of cells before they are transferred to the ELISpot plate; this is commonly done in the case of frozen cells, in order to enhance assay sensitivity. Other differences that may be significant include antibody coating of plates, the use of media with or without serum, the serum source and the number of cells added to the wells. The aim of this paper was to identify which components of the different ELISpot protocols influenced assay sensitivity and inter-laboratory variation. Four laboratories provided protocols for quantifying numbers of interferon-c spot forming cells in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis derived antigens. The differences in the protocols were compared directly. We found that several sources of variation in assay protocols can be eliminated, for example by avoiding serum supplementation and using AIM-V serum free medium. In addition, the number of cells added to ELISpot wells should also be standardised. Importantly, delays in peripheral blood mononuclear cell processing before stimulation had a marked effect on the number of detectable spot forming cells; processing delay thus should be minimised as well as standardised. Finally, a pre-stimulation culture period improved the sensitivity of the assay, however this effect may be both antigen and donor dependent. In conclusion, small differences in ELISpot protocols in routine use can affect the results obtained and care should be given to conditions selected for use in a given study. A pre-stimulation step may improve the sensitivity of the assay, particularly when cells have been previously frozen