Academic Major, Gender, Personal Values, And Reactions To An Ethical Dilemma

Recent corporate scandals have increased public interest in the area of business ethics.  This study examines the relationship of gender and choice of academic major to personal values and to ethical choices, and the relationship of personal values to ethical choices.  Two hundred fifty three subjects read a case that presented a tax evasion dilemma.  The subjects responded to a series of action statements related to the ethical dilemma and completed a personal values survey.  The responses to the action statements were used to calculate a tax compliance score.  Participants were also asked to make a choice as to whether the taxpayer should or should not report all of the taxable income.  The results indicate that both the tax compliance score and the tax payment choice differed by gender and academic major.  Furthermore, gender differences were found on five of the ten personal value constructs and academic major differences were found on four of the ten personal value constructs.  With regard to the relationship of personal values to ethical choices, it was found that three of the personal value constructs were correlated with the compliance score and the tax payment decision

Not Just Women’s Work: Recruiting Men to Occupational Therapy

Compared to women, men are less likely to become occupational therapists (OT). To have a more diverse workforce, and to relate to various patient groups, reasons men do not enter the field of OT must be better understood. Our study compares men and women in their familiarity with OT and desire to work in the field. Data were gathered using an online, self-report survey administered to students at a public university in the southeast. The sample included 334 undergraduate students who were in majors that often serve as feeder programs to OT graduate programs. The average age was 19.8 years (SD = 3.84). A majority of the students were women (80.1%). Ratings of familiarity with OT or interest in OT were generally low, with no significant differences between men and women. Women were more likely to endorse a calling orientation (i.e., work brings fulfillment to life) to their work, while men were more likely to endorse a career (i.e., advancement indicates achievement) or job orientation (i.e., the job is a means to an end). Career orientation predicted a greater interest in entering healthcare for men, but not women. More broadly, men and women may be interested in healthcare for different reasons, and this information needs to be utilized in marketing the profession

Measurement of the spin-orbit coupling interaction in ring-core optical fibers

Ring-core optical fibers have been designed to carry orbital angular momentum modes. We demonstrate the imaging of these modes, individually identifying modes separated temporally by only 30 ps. A single-pixel camera operating in the short-wave infrared detection range is used to image the 1550 nm wavelength optical modes. With this technique, examination of these optical modes can be performed with significantly higher temporal resolution than is possible with conventional imaging systems, such that the imaging of modes separated by spin-orbit coupling is achieved and evaluated. Deconvolution is required to separate the instrument response from the optical mode signal, increasing the clarity and temporal resolution of the measurement system

A Survey on Centrality Metrics and Their Implications in Network Resilience

Centrality metrics have been used in various networks, such as communication, social, biological, geographic, or contact networks. In particular, they have been used in order to study and analyze targeted attack behaviors and investigated their effect on network resilience. Although a rich volume of centrality metrics has been developed for decades, a limited set of centrality metrics have been commonly in use. This paper aims to introduce various existing centrality metrics and discuss their applicabilities and performance based on the results obtained from extensive simulation experiments to encourage their use in solving various computing and engineering problems in networks.Comment: Main paper: 36 pages, 2 figures. Appendix 23 pages,45 figure

Applicant perceptions of fairness and equity in selection

Machine-learning algorithms provide organizations with the opportunity to quickly and efficiently process information about potential employees while reducing costs associated with selection and turnover. However, any bias or error present in the programming as a result of information drawn from historically biased data is evident in the algorithm output (Illingworth, 2015). Additionally, human decision-makers rely on deductive reasoning by creating hypotheses, examining several variables, and drawing formal conclusions between the predictor variables and outcomes (Tambe et al., 2019). Recently, there has been growing fairness and equity concerns about the risks associated with the use of algorithms in selection processes from applicants; existing research has not fully addressed differences in applicant perceptions towards algorithmic or human decision-makers in the selection process. The present experiment analyzes applicant reactions to the selection process to understand whether algorithmic or human hiring decision-makers influence perceptions of fairness and equity and ultimately organizational attraction and job pursuit intentions. A t-test will capture participant reactions toward algorithmic and human-decision makers in the selection process after viewing a randomly assigned vignette about an organization’s review of application materials. Additionally, we are also measuring perceptions of organizational attraction and job pursuit intentions using correlational analyses and a mediation analysis using PROCESS

Optimisation of post-drawing treatments by means of neutron diffraction

The mechanical properties and the durability of cold-drawn eutectoid wires (especially in aggressive environments) are influenced by the residual stresses generated during the drawing process. Steelmakers have devised procedures (thermomechanical treatments after drawing) attempting to relieve them in order to improve wire performance. In thiswork neutron diffraction measurements have been used to ascertain the role of temperature and applied force – during post-drawing treatments – on the residual stresses of five rod batches with different treatments. The results show that conventional thermomechanical treatments are successful in relieving the residual stresses created by cold-drawing, although these procedures can be improved by changing the temperature or the stretching force. Knowledge of the residual stress profiles after these changes is a useful tool to improve the thermomechanical treatments instead of the empirical procedures used currently

The Gaze Cueing Effect and Its Enhancement by Facial Expressions Are Impacted by Task Demands: Direct Comparison of Target Localization and Discrimination Tasks

The gaze cueing effect is characterized by faster attentional orienting to a gazed-at than a non-gazed-at target. This effect is often enhanced when the gazing face bears an emotional expression, though this finding is modulated by a number of factors. Here, we tested whether the type of task performed might be one such modulating factor. Target localization and target discrimination tasks are the two most commonly used gaze cueing tasks, and they arguably differ in cognitive resources, which could impact how emotional expression and gaze cues are integrated to orient attention. In a within-subjects design, participants performed both target localization and discrimination gaze cueing tasks with neutral, happy, and fearful faces. The gaze cueing effect for neutral faces was greatly reduced in the discrimination task relative to the localization task, and the emotional enhancement of the gaze cueing effect was only present in the localization task and only when this task was performed first. These results suggest that cognitive resources are needed for gaze cueing and for the integration of emotional expressions and gaze cues. We propose that a shift toward local processing may be the mechanism by which the discrimination task interferes with the emotional modulation of gaze cueing. The results support the idea that gaze cueing can be greatly modulated by top-down influences and cognitive resources and thus taps into endogenous attention. Results are discussed within the context of the recently proposed EyeTune model of social attention.This research was funded by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC Discovery Grant #418431), the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI,#213322), and the Canada Research Chair program (CRC,#230407), awarded to RI. SM was supported by a Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship for Science and Technology (QEII-GSST). ZC was supported by an NSERC USRA (Undergraduate Student Research Award)

“OMG, Yes!”: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Efficacy of an Online Intervention for Female Sexual Pleasure

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of using an online educational resource that presents research-informed strategies for women’s pleasure, OMGyes.com, as a resource to empower women to broaden the ways in which they understand, advocate for, and enjoy sexual pleasure. A cohort of 870 adult women was given access to OMGyes.com and asked to explore the resource over a four-week period and complete online pre/post questionnaires. Participants reported a high level of satisfaction with the relatability, usefulness, and functionality of OMGyes.com. We observed statistically significant, large effect size increases in participants’ knowledge about their own pleasure preferences, their confidence and positivity about that knowledge, as well as how pleasurable their sexual experiences were during both masturbation and partner sex. Many participants reported that after using OMGyes.com they felt more motivated to explore their preferences and more confident to explain their preferences to their partners. Our data suggest that OMGyes.com may be useful for positively impacting how women think about sexual pleasure, how they understand their own specific preferences, how they advocate for what they enjoy with partners, and how they actually experience pleasure