Theoretical development in ethical marketing decision making

Abstract The current state of knowledge about ethical marketing decision making is explored from a historical perspective. While much research focuses on ethical issues, our purpose is to provide a holistic perspective of existing theory, skills, and research. We address both normative and descriptive approaches to ethical decision making theory development. Additional dimensions of ethical decision making such as institutional, resource-advantage, and value chain theory are advanced for future research

Pediatric trainees\u27 engagement in the online nutrition curriculum: preliminary results

Background: The Pediatric Nutrition Series (PNS) consists of ten online, interactive modules and supplementary educational materials that have utilized web-based multimedia technologies to offer nutrition education for pediatric trainees and practicing physicians. The purpose of the study was to evaluate pediatric trainees\u27 engagement, knowledge acquisition, and satisfaction with nutrition modules delivered online in interactive and non-interactive formats. Methods: From December 2010 through August 2011, pediatric trainees from seventy-three (73) different U. S. programs completed online nutrition modules designed to develop residents\u27 knowledge of counseling around and management of nutritional issues in children. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 19. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in comparing interactive versus non-interactive modules. Pretest/posttest and module evaluations measured knowledge acquisition and satisfaction. Results: Three hundred and twenty-two (322) pediatric trainees completed one or more of six modules for a total of four hundred and forty-two (442) accessions. All trainees who completed at least one module were included in the study. Two-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures (pre/posttest by interactive/non-interactive format) indicated significant knowledge gains from pretest to posttest (p \u3c 0.002 for all six modules). Comparisons between interactive and non-interactive formats for Module 1 (N = 85 interactive, N = 95 non-interactive) and Module 5 (N = 5 interactive, N = 16 non-interactive) indicated a parallel improvement from the pretest to posttest, with the interactive format significantly higher than the non-interactive modules (p \u3c .05). Both qualitative and quantitative data from module evaluations demonstrated that satisfaction with modules was high. However, there were lower ratings for whether learning objectives were met with Module 6 (p \u3c 0.03) and lecturer rating (p \u3c 0.004) compared to Module 1. Qualitative data also showed that completion of the interactive modules resulted in higher resident satisfaction. Conclusions: This initial assessment of the PNS modules shows that technology-mediated delivery of a nutrition curriculum in residency programs has great potential for providing rich learning environments for trainees while maintaining a high level of participant satisfaction

Collective versus single-particle effects in the optical spectra of finite electronic quantum systems

We study optical spectra of finite electronic quantum systems at frequencies smaller than the plasma frequency using a quasi-classical approach. This approach includes collective effects and enables us to analyze how the nature of the (single-particle) electron dynamics influences the optical spectra in finite electronic quantum systems. We derive an analytical expression for the low-frequency absorption coefficient of electro-magnetic radiation in a finite quantum system with ballistic electron dynamics and specular reflection at the boundaries: a two-dimensional electron gas confined to a strip of width a (the approach can be applied to systems of any shape and electron dynamics -- diffusive or ballistic, regular or irregular motion). By comparing with results of numerical computations using the random-phase approximation we show that our analytical approach provides a qualitative and quantitative understanding of the optical spectrum.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Systems biologists seek fuller integration of systems biology approaches in new cancer research programs

Systems biology takes an interdisciplinary approach to the systematic study of complex interactions in biological systems. This approach seeks to decipher the emergent behaviors of complex systems rather than focusing only on their constituent properties. As an increasing number of examples illustrate the value of systems biology approaches to understand the initiation, progression, and treatment of cancer, systems biologists from across Europe and the United States hope for changes in the way their field is currently perceived among cancer researchers. In a recent EU-US workshop, supported by the European Commission, the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research, and the National Cancer Institute of the NIH, the participants discussed the strengths, weaknesses, hurdles, and opportunities in cancer systems biology

Generator Coordinate Calculations for the Breathing-Mode Giant Monopole Resonance in Relativistic Mean Field Theory

The breathing-mode giant monopole resonance (GMR) is studied within the framework of the relativistic mean-field theory using the Generator Coordinate Method (GCM). The constrained incompressibility and the excitation energy of isoscalar giant monopole states are obtained for finite nuclei with various sets of Lagrangian parameters. A comparison is made with the results of nonrelativistic constrained Skyrme Hartree-Fock calculations and with those from Skyrme RPA calculations. In the RMF theory the GCM calculations give a transition density for the breathing mode, which resembles much that obtained from the Skyrme HF+RPA approach and also that from the scaling mode of the GMR. From the systematic study of the breathing-mode as a function of the incompressibility in GCM, it is shown that the GCM succeeds in describing the GMR energies in nuclei and that the empirical breathing-mode energies of heavy nuclei can be reproduced by forces with an incompressibility close to $K = 300$ MeV in the RMF theory.Comment: 27 pages (Revtex) and 5 figures (available upon request), Preprint MPA-793 (March 1994

Spectral properties of the t-J model in the presence of hole-phonon interaction

We examine the effects of electron-phonon interaction on the dynamics of the charge carriers doped in two-dimensional (2D) Heisenberg antiferromagnet. The $t$-$J$ model Hamiltonian with a Fr\"ohlich term which couples the holes to a dispersionless (optical) phonon mode is considered for low doping concentration. The evolution of the spectral density function, the density of states, and the momentum distribution function of the holes with an increase of the hole-phonon coupling constant $g$ is studied numerically. As the coupling to a phonon mode increases the quasiparticle spectral weight decreases and a ``phonon satellite'' feature close to the quasi-particle peak becomes more pronounced. Furthermore, strong electron-phonon coupling smears the multi-magnon resonances (``string states'') in the incoherent part of the spectral function. The jump in the momentum distribution function at the Fermi surface is reduced without changing the hole pocket volume, thereby providing a numerical verification of Luttinger theorem for this strongly interacting system. The vertex corrections due to electron- phonon interaction are negligible in spite of the fact that the ratio of the phonon frequency to the effective bandwidth is not small.Comment: REVTeX, 20 pages, 9 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev. B (Nov. 1, 1996

The edges of understanding

A culture's icons are a window onto its soul. Few would disagree that, in the culture of molecular biology that dominated much of the life sciences for the last third of the 20th century, the dominant icon was the double helix. In the present, post-modern, 'systems biology' era, however, it is, arguably, the hairball

Frequency dependent specific heat of viscous silica

We apply the Mori-Zwanzig projection operator formalism to obtain an expression for the frequency dependent specific heat c(z) of a liquid. By using an exact transformation formula due to Lebowitz et al., we derive a relation between c(z) and K(t), the autocorrelation function of temperature fluctuations in the microcanonical ensemble. This connection thus allows to determine c(z) from computer simulations in equilibrium, i.e. without an external perturbation. By considering the generalization of K(t) to finite wave-vectors, we derive an expression to determine the thermal conductivity \lambda from such simulations. We present the results of extensive computer simulations in which we use the derived relations to determine c(z) over eight decades in frequency, as well as \lambda. The system investigated is a simple but realistic model for amorphous silica. We find that at high frequencies the real part of c(z) has the value of an ideal gas. c'(\omega) increases quickly at those frequencies which correspond to the vibrational excitations of the system. At low temperatures c'(\omega) shows a second step. The frequency at which this step is observed is comparable to the one at which the \alpha-relaxation peak is observed in the intermediate scattering function. Also the temperature dependence of the location of this second step is the same as the one of the $\alpha-$peak, thus showing that these quantities are intimately connected to each other. From c'(\omega) we estimate the temperature dependence of the vibrational and configurational part of the specific heat. We find that the static value of c(z) as well as \lambda are in good agreement with experimental data.Comment: 27 pages of Latex, 8 figure

Association between amygdala reactivity and a dopamine transporter gene polymorphism

Essential for detection of relevant external stimuli and for fear processing, the amygdala is under modulatory influence of dopamine (DA). The DA transporter (DAT) is of fundamental importance for the regulation of DA transmission by mediating reuptake inactivation of extracellular DA. This study examined if a common functional variable number tandem repeat polymorphism in the 3′ untranslated region of the DAT gene (SLC6A3) influences amygdala function during the processing of aversive emotional stimuli. Amygdala reactivity was examined by comparing regional cerebral blood flow, measured with positron emission tomography and [15O]water, during exposure to angry and neutral faces, respectively, in a Swedish sample comprising 32 patients with social anxiety disorder and 17 healthy volunteers. In a separate US sample, comprising 85 healthy volunteers studied with blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging, amygdala reactivity was assessed by comparing the activity during exposure to threatening faces and neutral geometric shapes, respectively. In both the Swedish and the US sample, 9-repeat carriers displayed higher amygdala reactivity than 10-repeat homozygotes. The results suggest that this polymorphism contributes to individual variability in amygdala reactivity