Cultura de género y diversidad en el razonamiento moral

Este texto enfoca las representaciones personales de la moral en la acción centrada en el compromiso de ayudar a una persona amiga que ha quebrantado una norma social. El artículo es un resumen del trabajo de investigación sobre el análisis de las representaciones de una serie de sujetos de ambos sexos sobre la resolución de un dilema moral. Desde una perspectiva genético-constructiva y desde la teoría de los modelos mentales, los autores formulan la teoría de los modelos organizadores para explicar que la actuación de un sujeto en un momento determinado está, en parte, condicionada por la especificidad del problema y, en parte, por el nivel de desarrollo estructural obtenido mediante el ejercicio de sus competencias cognitivas en contenidos de diferente naturaleza. Dentro de este marco teórico, los autores han estudiado las diferencias de los razonamientos según la edad y el sexo de la muestra de sujetos.

Razonamiento moral y educación

El texto se basa en el análisis del razonamiento moral a partir del marco de los modelos organizadores. A partir de la determinación de las diferentes representaciones que una serie de sujetos realizaron sobre un dilema basado en un conflicto moral entre iguales de edad, y que incluyó tres núcleos (justicia, felicidad y cuidado) se detectó que existen cuatro grandes modelos organizadores que se presentan en diferentes líneas evolutivas. La tesis que se defiende es que la inclusión de los sentimientos puede guiar el razonamiento a niveles más elevados y puede integrar las perspectivas de justicia y solidaridad a la hora de resolver conflictos interpersonales. En el artículo se afirma que todo esto son retos en los cuales es necesario trabajar para conseguir un modelo educativo integrador dentro de las escuelas.

Ascending aorta measurements as assessed by ECG-gated multi-detector computed tomography: a pilot study to establish normative values for transcatheter therapies

The aim of this study was to provide an insight into normative values of the ascending aorta in regards to novel endovascular procedures using ECG-gated multi-detector CT angiography. Seventy-seven adult patients without ascending aortic abnormalities were evaluated. Measurements at relevant levels of the aortic root and ascending aorta were obtained. Diameter variations of the ascending aorta during cardiac cycle were also considered. Mean diameters (mm) were as follows: LV outflow tract 20.3 +/- 3.4, coronary sinus 34.2 +/- 4.1, sino-tubular junction 29.7 +/- 3.4 and mid ascending aorta 32.7 +/- 3.8 with coefficients of variation (CV) ranging from 12 to 17%. Mean distances (mm) were: from the plane passing through the proximal insertions of the aortic valve cusps to the right brachio-cephalic artery (BCA) 92.6 +/- 11.8, from the plane passing through the proximal insertions of the aortic valve cusps to the proximal coronary ostium 12.1 +/- 3.7, and between both coronary ostia 7.2 +/- 3.1, minimal arc of the ascending aorta from left coronary ostium to right BCA 52.9 +/- 9.5, and the fibrous continuity between the aortic valve and the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve 14.6 +/- 3.3, CV 13-43%. Mean aortic valve area was 582.0 +/- 131.9 mm(2). The variation of the antero-posterior and transverse diameters of the ascending aorta during the cardiac cycle were 8.4% and 7.3%, respectively. Results showed large inter-individual variations in diameters and distances but with limited intra-individual variations during the cardiac cycle. A personalized approach for planning endovascular devices must be considered.

Conocimiento, vida y virtud moral

Macintyre ha dividido su última obra Dependent Rational Animals en dos partes. Enla primera analiza las habilidades que los animales racionales tienen en común con losirracionales, mientras que en la segunda parte expone el concepto de 'autonomía moral'. El artículo expone las ideas del último libro de MacIntyre relacionándolas con sus trabajos anteriores. El artículo fue presentado en las jornadas sobre 'El pensamiento filosófico-moral de Alasdair Machtyre' que se realizaron el pasado año en Madrid organizadas por Facultad de CC. Jundicas y de la Administración, de la Universidad San Pablo-CEU.

Ètica a través de la literatura. La reflexió moral a través del text literari.

La tradició que relaciona l"Ètica amb la Literatura remunta als textos grecs més clàssics on els herois, ben dibuixats per l"autor, presentaven el perfil de l"ideal a seguir per tal que generacions d"homes i dones s"hi emmirallessin tot tractant d"imitar en les seves vides, si no les gestes, les actituds i les virtuts que els herois llegendaris encarnaven. Només cal parar esment en el pes que en la vida d"Alexandre el Gran tingué la presentació que Homer fa d"Aquileu, un heroi que preferí la glòria immortal a un envelliment plàcid a la vora del foc.

Choosy moral punishers.

The punishment of social misconduct is a powerful mechanism for stabilizing high levels of cooperation among unrelated individuals. It is regularly assumed that humans have a universal disposition to punish social norm violators, which is sometimes labelled "universal structure of human morality" or "pure aversion to social betrayal". Here we present evidence that, contrary to this hypothesis, the propensity to punish a moral norm violator varies among participants with different career trajectories. In anonymous real-life conditions, future teachers punished a talented but immoral young violinist: they voted against her in an important music competition when they had been informed of her previous blatant misconduct toward fellow violin students. In contrast, future police officers and high school students did not punish. This variation among socio-professional categories indicates that the punishment of norm violators is not entirely explained by an aversion to social betrayal. We suggest that context specificity plays an important role in normative behaviour; people seem inclined to enforce social norms only in situations that are familiar, relevant for their social category, and possibly strategically advantageous.

Improving Subgrade Support Values with Longitudinal Drains, MLR-84-3, 1984

This report is a brief summary of research on the effect of longitudinal drains on subgrade support. The Iowa DOT began installing longitudinal subdrains at a depth of 24" in 1978. The trend in Iowa has been to deeper longitudinal drains with the present standard being 48" deep. A very limited amount of data would indicate that the deeper longitudinal drains are providing a greater benefit to the subgrade support value. The 24# deep drains of the Poweshiek Interstate 80 project yielded a spring subgrade support value of 165. The 30" deep drains on Pottawattamie Interstate 80 yielded a K value of 170 while the 48"deep drains on Cass County Interstate 80 yielded a K value of 210. This limited amount of data would indicate that the deeper drains provide greater benefit to improvement of the subgrade support values.

Le pragmatisme, solution au problème moral de la modernité ?

Etude critique de Charles Larmore, Modernité et morale (Paris, PUF, 1993). Cet article présente et discute le projet de son auteur de défendre l'idée d'une morale « pragmatiste » et « intuitionniste ». Restituant la position de l'auteur, il expose les arguments en faveur d'une conception pragmatiste de la vérité morale et ceux en faveur du recours à l'intuition pour découvrir le contenu de nos obligations morales. Dans une brève note critique finale, il suggère que le pragmatisme semble peu à même d'échapper tout à fait au reproche de relativisme.

Buenos libros, malas lectoras: la enfermedad moral de las mujeres del siglo XIX

El seu article parteix de l'afirmació que el destí de les dones al segle XIX està marcat, en la ficció, pel "bovarysme", malaltia que proposa que les dones s'emmalalteixen i moren perquè llegeixen malament. El treball analitza aquest problema de la "mala lectura" traçant un recorregut que va des de Fernán Caballero fins a Freud i es comenten alguns episodis de lectura que apareixen en la "Autobiografía" de Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, Clemencia, Amalia, Madame Bovary, María, La regenta i El caso Dora. Her article departs from the statement that the destiny of women in the 19th century is determined, in fiction, by "bovarysm", an illness which proposes that women get sick and die because they read incorrectly. The work analyzes this problem of "bad reading" tracing a journey from Fernán Caballero to Freud, and comments on several episodes about the act of reading, from Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda's "Autobiography", Clemencia, Amalia, Madame Bovary, María, La Regenta and Dora's Case.

The quest for blood pressure reference values in children

Do we need country-specific blood pressure reference values for children? This question will sound weird for clinicians caring for adult hypertensive patients or researchers working in the domain of adult hypertension. Indeed, there are no country-specific reference values for adults. This contrasts with hypertension in children, for whom there is an increasing number of published sets of country-specific reference values [1-5].

The social disembedding of business theory and practice. A (neo-)institutional analysis of the homo economicus and corporate social responsibility, and the inherent responsibility of business scholars

Aim Structure of the Thesis In the first article, I focus on the context in which the Homo Economicus was constructed - i.e., the conception of economic actors as fully rational, informed, egocentric, and profit-maximizing. I argue that the Homo Economicus theory was developed in a specific societal context with specific (partly tacit) values and norms. These norms have implicitly influenced the behavior of economic actors and have framed the interpretation of the Homo Economicus. Different factors however have weakened this implicit influence of the broader societal values and norms on economic actors. The result is an unbridled interpretation and application of the values and norms of the Homo Economicus in the business environment, and perhaps also in the broader society. In the second article, I show that the morality of many economic actors relies on isomorphism, i.e., the attempt to fit into the group by adopting the moral norms surrounding them. In consequence, if the norms prevailing in a specific group or context (such as a specific region or a specific industry) change, it can be expected that actors with an 'isomorphism morality' will also adapt their ethical thinking and their behavior -for the 'better' or for the 'worse'. The article further describes the process through which corporations could emancipate from the ethical norms prevailing in the broader society, and therefore develop an institution with specific norms and values. These norms mainly rely on mainstream business theories praising the economic actor's self-interest and neglecting moral reasoning. Moreover, because of isomorphism morality, many economic actors have changed their perception of ethics, and have abandoned the values prevailing in the broader society in order to adopt those of the economic theory. Finally, isomorphism morality also implies that these economic actors will change their morality again if the institutional context changes. The third article highlights the role and responsibility of business scholars in promoting a systematic reflection and self-critique of the business system and develops alternative models to fill the moral void of the business institution and its inherent legitimacy crisis. Indeed, the current business institution relies on assumptions such as scientific neutrality and specialization, which seem at least partly challenged by two factors. First, self-fulfilling prophecy provides scholars with an important (even if sometimes undesired) normative influence over practical life. Second, the increasing complexity of today's (socio-political) world and interactions between the different elements constituting our society question the strong specialization of science. For instance, economic theories are not unrelated to psychology or sociology, and economic actors influence socio-political structures and processes, e.g., through lobbying (Dobbs, 2006; Rondinelli, 2002), or through marketing which changes not only the way we consume, but more generally tries to instill a specific lifestyle (Cova, 2004; M. K. Hogg & Michell, 1996; McCracken, 1988; Muniz & O'Guinn, 2001). In consequence, business scholars are key actors in shaping both tomorrow's economic world and its broader context. A greater awareness of this influence might be a first step toward an increased feeling of civic responsibility and accountability for the models and theories developed or taught in business schools.

Critical values of nitrogen indices in tomato plants grown in soil and nutrient solution determined by different statistical procedures

The objective of this study was to establish critical values of the N indices, namely soil-plant analysis development (SPAD), petiole sap N-NO3 and organic N in the tomato leaf adjacent to the first cluster (LAC), under soil and nutrient solution conditions, determined by different statistical approaches. Two experiments were conducted in randomized complete block design with four repli-cations. Tomato plants were grown in soil, in 3 L pot, with five N rates (0, 100, 200, 400 and 800 mg kg-1) and in solution at N rates of 0, 4, 8, 12 and 16 mmol L-1. Experiments in nutrient solution and soil were finished at thirty seven and forty two days after transplanting, respectively. At those times, SPAD index and petiole sap N-NO3 were evaluated in the LAC. Then, plants were harvested, separated in leaves and stem, dried at 70ºC, ground and weighted. The organic N was determined in LAC dry matter. Three statistical procedures were used to calculate critical N values. There were accentuated discrepancies for critical values of N indices obtained with plants grown in soil and nutrient solution as well as for different statistical procedures. Critical values of nitrogen indices at all situations are presented.