Ethical Decision Making in Autonomous Vehicles: The AV Ethics Project

Science and Engineering Ethics - The ethics of autonomous vehicles (AV) has received a great amount of attention in recent years, specifically in regard to their decisional policies in accident...     

Learning from the patient: The East,synchronicity and transference in the history of an unknown case of C.G. Jung

This article presents the history of one until now unknown case of C.G. Jung: Maggy Reichstein. Born in Indonesia in 1894 in a very aristocratic family, she brought her sister to Zurich to be treated by Jung in 1919, and later she herself was in analysis with him. Jung used her case as example in his lecture in 1937 on the realities of practical psychotherapy, relating it to the process of transference and countertransference. Jung deepened his studies in Eastern psychology after a series of dreams she had, which culminated in the Yoga Kundalini Seminars. She was also the case presented in his article of 1951 on the concept of synchronicity. Jung wrote that her case, concerning synchronicity, remained unique in his experience. Jung also published some of her mandalas. He considered her able to understand his ideas in depth. Reichstein was for Jung an important case, which challenged and triggered his interests in different subjects.     

Higher-Order Unification: A structural relation between Huet's method and the one based on explicit substitutions

We compare two different styles of Higher-Order Unification (HOU): the classical HOU algorithm of Huet for the simply typed λ-calculus and HOU based on the λσ-calculus of explicit substitutions. For doing so, first, the original Huet algorithm for the simply typed λ-calculus with names is adapted to the language of the λ-calculus in de Bruijn's notation, since this is the notation used by the λσ-calculus. Afterwards, we introduce a new structural notation called unification tree, which eases the presentation of the subgoals generated by Huet's algorithm and its behaviour. The unification tree notation will be important for the comparison between Huet's algorithm and unification in the λσ-calculus whose derivations are presented into a structure called derivation tree. We prove that there exists an important structural correspondence between Huet's HOU and the λσ-HOU method: for each (sub-)problem in the unification tree there exists a counterpart in the derivation tree. This allows us to conclude that the λσ-HOU is a generalization of Huet's algorithm and that solutions computed by the latter are always computed by the former method.     

Invariance and convergent and discriminant validity between mothers' and fathers' ratings of oppositional defiant disorder toward adults, ADHD-HI, ADHD-IN, and academic competence factors within Brazilian, Thai, and American children

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the invariance of an oppositional defiant disorder toward adults, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-hyperactivity/impulsivity, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-inattention, and an Academic Competence factor model between mothers' and fathers' ratings within Brazilian (n = 894), Thai (n = 2,075), and American (n = 817) children with the Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavior Inventory (G. L. Burns, T. Taylor, & J. Rusby, 2001a, 2001b). The results showed invariance of item loadings, intercepts, and residuals, as well as factor variances, covariances, and means between mothers' and fathers' ratings within each sample. Convergent and discriminant validity was also observed for the between-parent factor correlations, thus providing additional support for the construct validity of the Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavior Inventory. The confirmatory factor analysis invariance procedure provides a much better way to examine between-source ratings of behavior problems in children than do the simple correlation and raw discrepancy score procedures.     

Be a Mom: Formative Evaluation of a Web-Based Psychological Intervention to Prevent Postpartum Depression

A formative evaluation (consisting of two phases: a scoping literature review and a focus group with mental health professionals) was conducted to inform the design of a web-based intervention to prevent postpartum depression, in terms of its characteristics and content: the Be a Mom program. The results showed that the web-based intervention should be short-term, delivered postnatally, and grounded in cognitive-behavior therapy principles. Moreover, the intervention should include weekly sessions targeting basic contents: motherhood changes, reorganizations and emotional experience; cognitions, self-criticism, and self-compassion; parenting values, social support, and assertive communication skills; couple relationship, negotiation and conflict resolution skills; and postpartum depression signs and professional help-seeking. These results may improve the Be a Mom’s adequacy, implementation success, and effectiveness.     

That is how we do it around here: Levels of identification,masculine honor,and social activism against organized crime in the south of Italy

Masculine honor is an important cultural code in the south of Italy. Italian criminal organizations (COs) manipulate and exploit this code to maintain legitimacy among local populations and exert social control in the territory where they operate. This research tested the hypothesis that different levels of identification—the region and the nation—would have opposite associations with male honor‐related values and, indirectly, with intentions to oppose COs collectively. Results from a sample of young southern Italians (N = 170) showed that regional identification positively predicted endorsement of male honor‐related values, which in turn were associated with lowered intentions to oppose COs. In contrast, national identification negatively predicted male honor‐related values, associated in turn with stronger intentions to oppose COs. These results also held when perceived risk and social dominance orientation were taken into account. Directions for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Men of Honor Don't Talk: The Relationship Between Masculine Honor and Social Activism Against Criminal Organizations in Italy

Criminal organizations have a strong influence on social, political, and economic life in Italy and other parts of the world. Nonetheless, local populations display collective passivity against organized crime, a phenomenon known as omertà. Omertà is linked to the concepts of honor and masculinity. That is, in order to fit ideological constructions of manliness, individuals should display indifference toward illegal activities and should not collaborate with legal institutions. In two studies, we investigated the link between endorsement of a masculine honor ideology and collective action intentions against criminal organizations (antimafia). Study 1 (N = 121) involved a Northern Italian sample, and Study 2 (N = 301) involved a Southern Italian sample. Across studies, results showed that endorsement of masculine honor ideology was associated with lower willingness to engage in social activism against criminal organizations. This relationship was mediated by attitudes toward criminal organizations (Study 1 and 2) and, in line with the notion of omertà, by lower levels of collective motive and more anxiety about interacting with police (Study 2). Directions for future research are discussed.     

Chronic stress, but not hypercaloric diet, impairs vascular function in rats

The aim of this study was to evaluate vascular and metabolic effects of chronic mild unpredictable stress (CMS) and hypercaloric diet (HD) without carbohydrate supplementation in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to four groups: Control, HD, CMS, and HD plus CMS. CMS consisted of the application of different stressors for 3 weeks. The rats were killed 15 days after CMS exposure. The HD group presented higher plasma lipid concentrations, without changes in fasting glucose concentration, glucose tolerance test, and vascular function and morphology, in comparison with the control group. Stressed rats presented higher fasting blood concentration of insulin, higher homeostasis model assessment index values and area under the curve in an oral glucose tolerance test, in comparison with non-stressed rats. CMS increased the plasma concentrations of corticosterone and lipids, and the atherogenic index values, without change in high-density lipoprotein level. CMS increased intima-media thickness and induced endothelium-dependent supersensitivity to phenylephrine, and lowered the relaxation response to acetylcholine in the thoracic aorta isolated from rats fed with control or HD, in comparison with non-stressed groups. CMS effects were independent of diet. In non-stressed rats, the HD induced dyslipidemia, but did not change glucose metabolism, vascular function, or morphology. The data from this study indicate that CMS promotes a set of events which together can contribute to impair function of the thoracic aorta.     

A step too far? Leader racism inhibits transgression credit

Prior research established that when in‐group leaders commit serious transgressions, such as breaking enforceable rules or engaging in bribery, people treat them leniently compared with similarly transgressive regular group members or out‐group leaders (‘transgression credit’). The present studies test a boundary condition of this phenomenon, specifically the hypothesis that transgression credit will be lost if a leader's action implies racist motivation. In study 1, in a corporate scenario, a transgressive in‐group leader did or did not express racism. In study 2, in a sports scenario, an in‐group or out‐group leader or member transgressed rules with or without a racist connotation. Both studies showed that in‐group transgressive leaders lost their transgression credit if their transgression included a racial connotation. Wider implications for constraining leaders' transgressions are discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.