How social norms and ethics shape economic behavior

In my thesis, I explore the intrinsic motivation of individuals to act according to ethical rules and social norms in economically relevant situations. In chapter two, I study in an online experiment how the experience of punishment affects individual norm perceptions and behavior in situations where no punishment exists. I argue that the experience of peer punishment can serve as a signal that the exhibited behavior is considered less appropriate than the punished subject thought it is. This could help update the normative perception. I use a simple investment game with costly punishment and run two treatments to elicit trustees' behavior and norm perceptions separately. As a result, I find that the subjects shift their normative perceptions to a more favorable evaluation toward lower returns, which I call an erosion of norms over rounds. However, this effect is significantly smaller for those subjects who were punished. Chapter three investigates the effectiveness of external whistleblowing regimes when internal whistleblowing is also possible. As a main result, it shows that the external channel indeed increases sanctioning. However, it does not seem to encourage more people to blow the whistle. In chapter four, the question is analyzed whether being responsible for an ethical or unethical work environment affects workers' performance. The results from a laboratory real-effort experiment show that subjects who prefer to work under an ethical regime, perform better if they are also responsible for that

Implementing urban participatory climate change adaptation appraisals: A methodological guideline

This paper provides conceptual and methodological guidelines for researchers seeking to undertake an urban participatory climate change adaptation appraisal (PCCAA), illustrated with examples from appraisals in Mombasa (Kenya) and Estelí (Nicaragua). It highlights the importance of hearing local people’s voices regarding incrementally worsening and often unrecorded severe weather. The conceptual framework distinguishes between the analysis of asset vulnerability and the identification of asset-based operational strategies, and sets out a number of methodological principles and practices for undertaking a PCCAA. This PCCAA addressed five main themes: community characteristics; severe weather; vulnerability to severe weather; asset adaptation; and institutions supporting local adaptation. For each of these, it identified potential tools for eliciting information, illustrated by examples from Mombasa and Estelí. </jats:p

The effect of ethical responsibility on performance

In a laboratory real-effort experiment, we study the effect of responsibility on performance. Specifically, we analyze whether being responsible for an ethical or unethical work environment affects workers’ performance. Using a specific randomization technique, we can separate the responsibility effect from a possible selection effect. We find that workers who prefer to work in an ethical work environment perform better if they are also responsible for it, compared to a situation where it was imposed on them. We do not find this positive incentive effect of responsibility for workers that prefer an unethical work environment. Moreover, we observe that if an unethical environment was imposed, workers who prefer an ethical environment perform worse than those whose preference are aligned with the environment

The effect of ethical responsibility on performance

In a laboratory real-effort experiment, we study the effect of responsibility on performance. Specifically, we analyze whether being responsible for an ethical or unethical work environment affects workers’ performance. Using a specific randomization technique, we can separate the responsibility effect from a possible selection effect. We find that workers who prefer to work in an ethical work environment perform better if they are also responsible for it, compared to a situation where it was imposed on them. We do not find this positive incentive effect of responsibility for workers that prefer an unethical work environment. Moreover, we observe that if an unethical environment was imposed, workers who prefer an ethical environment perform worse than those whose preference are aligned with the environment

BEFAST Assessment in a Rural Community Hospital – the BIRCH Study

Background: There are known regional disparities in treatment rates with thrombolysis and thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke. BEFAST has been implemented in acute stroke protocols to aid in recognition of signs of stroke, but its utility in a rural ED is not well known.https://knowledgeconnection.mainehealth.org/lambrew-retreat-2023/1001/thumbnail.jp

Post Lumbar-Puncture Headache Experience in a Community Hospital (PEACH) Study

Introduction: Post lumbar puncture (LP) headaches have been reported to occur in 10 to 30% of patients . The incidence of post-LP headaches at Pen Bay Medical Center (PBMC) was unknown prior to this study. This study was undertaken to attempt to understand the local experience with this procedural complication

The role of diet as a mediator of the association between social inequalities and dental caries

As desigualdades em saúde bucal entre grupos de indivíduos são bem conhecidas, mas pouca informação está disponível sobre as contribuições e as inter-relações dos mecanismos pelos quais essas disparidades determinam doenças bucais. Um dos principais determinantes comuns de doenças é a dieta, que pode levar a morte prematura e a incapacidades, também sendo causa da obesidade e do sobrepeso, o que aumenta os riscos para as doenças crônicas não transmissíveis (DCNTs). Para a saúde bucal, a relação entre consumo de açúcar e cárie dentária é reconhecida, mas poucos estudos avaliaram se a associação entre pobreza e cárie dentária é mediada pela dieta e ingestão de açúcar. Dessa forma o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar se o consumo de açúcar e a dieta são mediadores da associação entre desigualdades sociais e cárie dentária em adultos. O estudo utilizou dados transversais do National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2015- 2016, Estados Unidos, e do Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Disparities across the Life Span (HANDLS) 2004-2009, Baltimore (Estados Unidos), da população adulta com idade entre 30 e 64 anos. Um modelo de equações estruturais foi proposto para testar caminhos específicos (isto é, mediação) entre um conjunto de conceitos, tratados como variáveis latentes, status socioeconômico (SES) e percepção de saúde bucal, ou observadas como: sexo, idade, Índice de Alimentação Saudável (HEI-Healthy Eating Index), consumo de açúcar (g/dia), uso de serviços de saúde bucal, Índice de Massa Corporal, diabetes, cárie dentária e perda dentária. As análises foram realizadas usando Mplus 7.1. Em ambos estudos, HANDLS e NHANES, no modelo estrutural os índices de ajuste indicaram boa representação dos dados para a amostra completa, (TLI=0.935, CFI=0.955, RSEMA=0.032, WRMR=1.539) e (TLI=0.924, CFI=0.950, RMSE=0.039, WRMR=1,636), respectivamente. No estudo HANDLS (n=3.720), maior SES teve associação inversa com cárie dentária não tratada [coeficiente padronizado (SC=-0,42, p<0,001), com maior efeito direto (SC=-0,27, p<0,001), mas também por caminhos indiretos (SC=- 0,14, p<0,001) via HEI e serviços de saúde bucal. Mais especificamente, um maior SES mostrou um efeito direto no HEI (SC=0,32, p<0,001), que foi um fator protetor (SC=-0,14, p<0,001) contra a cárie dentária não tratada. No estudo NHANES (n=3.367), maior SES teve associação inversa com cárie dentária não tratada (SC=- 0,37, p<0,001), tanto em um caminho direto (SC=-0,19, p<0,001) quanto indireto (SC=-0,17 , p<0,001) via dieta saudável (HEI), açúcar adicionado e serviços de saúde bucal. Houve um efeito direto positivo de um maior SES na dieta saudável (SC=0,16, p<0,001), que por sua vez foi um fator protetor (SC=-0,13, p<0,001) para cárie dentária não tratada. Por outro lado, maior SES não apresentou efeito direto sobre açúcar adicionado, mas houve um efeito entre açúcar adicionado e cárie dentária não tratada (SC=0.14, p<0.001). Conclui-se que a dieta saudável foi mediadora da associação entre desigualdades socioeconômicos e cárie dentária não tratada e que o açúcar adicionado foi um fator contribuinte para o desenvolvimento de cárie, mas não estava relacionado ao SES. Essa evidência apoia abordagens abrangentes de atenção à saúde, que integrem a saúde geral e bucal em intervenções de dieta, como estratégia para reduzir as disparidades na saúde.Inequalities in oral health among groups of individuals are well known, but little information is available on the contributions and interrelationships of the mechanisms by which these disparities determine oral diseases. One of the main determinants of common diseases is the diet, which can lead to premature death and disability, also causing obesity and overweight, which increases the risks for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). For oral health, the relationship between sugar consumption and dental caries is recognized, but few studies have evaluated whether the association between poverty and dental caries is mediated by diet and sugar intake. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate whether sugar consumption and diet are mediators of the association between social inequalities, dental caries in adults. The study used cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2015-2016, United States, and Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Disparities across the Life Span (HANDLS) 2004-2009, Baltimore (United States), with adult population aged between 30 and 64 years. A structural equation model was proposed to test specific pathways (ie, mediation) between a set of concepts, treated as latent variables, socioeconomic status (SES) and oral health perception, or observed as: sex, age, Healthy Eating Index (HEI), sugar intake (g/day), use of oral health services, Body Mass Index, diabetes, dental caries and tooth loss. The analyses were performed using Mplus 7.1. In both studies, HANDLS and NHANES, in the structural model the fit indices indicated a good data representation for the complete sample, (TLI=0.935, CFI=0.955, RSEMA=0.032, WRMR=1.539) and (TLI=0.924, CFI=0.950, RMSE=0.039, WRMR=1,636), respectively. In the HANDLS study (n=3,720), high SES showed an inverse association on untreated dental caries [standardized coefficient (SC=-0.42, p<0.001), with a greater direct effect (SC=-0.27, p<0.001), but also by indirect ways (SC=-0.14, p<0.001) via HEI and oral health services. More specifically, a higher SES showed a direct effect on HEI (SC=0.32, p<0.001), which was a protective factor (SC=-0.14, p<0.001) against untreated dental caries. In the NHANES study (n=3,367), high SES was inversely associated with untreated dental caries (SC=-0.37, p <0.001), either in a direct pathway (SC=-0.19, p <0.001) and indirect (SC=-0.17, p<0.001) via healthy diet (HEI), added sugar (g/day) and oral health services. There was a direct positive effect of a higher SES on the healthy diet (SC=0.16, p<0.001), which in turn was a protective factor (SC=-0.13, p<0.001) for untreated dental caries. On the other hand, high SES had no direct effect on added sugar, but between added sugar and untreated dental caries (SC=0.14, p<0.001). It was concluded that a healthy diet mediated the association between socioeconomic inequalities and untreated dental caries and that added sugar was a contributing factor to caries development but was not related to SES. This evidence supports comprehensive health care approaches, which integrate general and oral health into dietary interventions, as strategy to reduce health disparities

Human Robot Interface for Assistive Grasping

This work describes a new human-in-the-loop (HitL) assistive grasping system for individuals with varying levels of physical capabilities. We investigated the feasibility of using four potential input devices with our assistive grasping system interface, using able-bodied individuals to define a set of quantitative metrics that could be used to assess an assistive grasping system. We then took these measurements and created a generalized benchmark for evaluating the effectiveness of any arbitrary input device into a HitL grasping system. The four input devices were a mouse, a speech recognition device, an assistive switch, and a novel sEMG device developed by our group that was connected either to the forearm or behind the ear of the subject. These preliminary results provide insight into how different interface devices perform for generalized assistive grasping tasks and also highlight the potential of sEMG based control for severely disabled individuals.Comment: 8 pages, 21 figure

Permanent education in health in an intensive care unit: the perception of the nurses

Objective: To identify the perception of the acting nurses in the Intensive Care Unit about the process of Permanent Education aiming at its later application in the service. Method: exploratory research, in a descriptive and qualitative approach realized from June to August of 2013, with five acting nurses in an intensive care unit of a medium-sized hospital in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul. Data collection was through a questionnaire containing open questions, and data treatment was through content analysis. Results: two categories emerged: the nurse in an Intensive Care Unit - perceptions and assignments; Outlining strategies for the work process qualification. Conclusion: it was possible to identify that the Permanent Education is a slow and progressive process that must not lose the focus, which addresses care quality, because it presents a meaningful transformation result