scholarly journals Cultural influence on COVID-19 cognitions and growth speed: the role of cultural collectivism

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Pei ◽  
Danielle Cosme ◽  
Mary Elizabeth Andrews ◽  
Bradley Dale Mattan ◽  
Emily B. Falk
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Policy Support ◽  
Growth Speed ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Individual

Many challenges faced by humans require large-scale cooperation for communal benefits. We examined what motivates such cooperation in the context of social distancing and mask wearing to reduce the transmission intensity of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). We hypothesized that collectivism, a cultural variable characterizing the extent that individuals see themselves in relation to others, contributes to people’s willingness to engage in these behaviors. Consistent with preregistered predictions, across three studies (n=2864), including a U.S. nationally representative sample, people’s collectivist orientation is positively associated with intentions, positive beliefs, norm perceptions, and policy support for the preventive behaviors. In separate analyses at the country level (n=69 countries), more collectivist countries demonstrated lower growth rate in both COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths. Together, these studies demonstrate the positive role of collectivism at the individual- and country-level in reducing COVID-19 transmission, and highlight the need to consider culture in public health policies and communications.

scholarly journals The Role of Risk Preferences in Responses to Messaging About COVID-19 Vaccine Take-Up

2021 ◽  
pp. 194855062199962
Author(s):  
Jennifer S. Trueblood ◽  
Abigail B. Sussman ◽  
Daniel O’Leary
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Risk Preferences ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Flu Vaccine ◽  
Nationally Representative

Development of an effective COVID-19 vaccine is widely considered as one of the best paths to ending the current health crisis. While the ability to distribute a vaccine in the short-term remains uncertain, the availability of a vaccine alone will not be sufficient to stop disease spread. Instead, policy makers will need to overcome the additional hurdle of rapid widespread adoption. In a large-scale nationally representative survey ( N = 34,200), the current work identifies monetary risk preferences as a correlate of take-up of an anticipated COVID-19 vaccine. A complementary experiment ( N = 1,003) leverages this insight to create effective messaging encouraging vaccine take-up. Individual differences in risk preferences moderate responses to messaging that provides benchmarks for vaccine efficacy (by comparing it to the flu vaccine), while messaging that describes pro-social benefits of vaccination (specifically herd immunity) speeds vaccine take-up irrespective of risk preferences. Findings suggest that policy makers should consider risk preferences when targeting vaccine-related communications.

scholarly journals Przyczynek do obrazu szlachty Inflant Polskich w łotewskich źródłach i opracowaniach historycznych początku XX w.

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 89-97
Author(s):  
Beata Biesiadowska-Magdziarz
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
General Development ◽  
Folk Culture ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Native Culture ◽  
Village People ◽  
Rich Material ◽  
Polish Culture

A contribution to the image of Polish Livonia nobility in the Latvian historical sources and studies of the early Twentieth CenturyPolish literature devoted to the role of the Poles in shaping Latvian culture presents unanimity as far as the positive role and results of this influence are concerned. However diametrically opposite Latvian perspective particularly clear in the first years of the existence of independent Latvia needs to be highlighted here.Contacts between the Latvians and Poles and their cultures  differed in different parts of Latvia since the beginning of the Polish presence in this country. The period called ‘the Polish times in Latvia’ in Latvian historical sources lasted the longest in Latgale (1561-1772), i.e. in the so called Polish Livonia. The Polish influence on Latvian folk culture was the strongest there.This period, especially the scale of the influence of Polish culture on Latvian native culture as well as general development of this region, was strongly criticized by numerous Latvian historians.The interest of the Polish noblemen in developing Latgale was subjected to criticism, too. Considering these lands as their own the Poles were not interested in propagating national ideas among  local village people who, according to the Polish nobles, were to succumb to complete polonisation.Great influence of the Polish nobility on culture, economy and creating the national identity of the Latgalian Latvians, the policy of the Polish clergy and polonisation of the local people resulted in a negative opinion of the Polish influence in the Latvian lands.The study is an attempt to outline the issue which Polish researchers have not paid attention to so far. Nevertheless, regarding rich material it needs detailed research on a large scale. Przyczynek do obrazu szlachty Inflant Polskich w łotewskich źródłach i opracowaniach historycznych początku XX w.W literaturze polskiej poświęconej roli Polaków w kształtowaniu kultury Łotwy panuje jednomyślność co do pozytywnej roli i skutków tych wpływów. Nie można jednak pomijać milczeniem istnienia diametralnie różnej perspektywy łotewskiej, która szczególnie wyraźnie zarysowała się w pierwszych latach istnienia niepodległego państwa łotewskiego.Od początku obecności Polaków na Łotwie kontakty Łotyszy z Polakami i ich kulturą różnie wyglądały w poszczególnych regionach Łotwy. Okres, nazywany w historycznych źródłach łotewskich „polskimi czasami na Łotwie”, najdłużej trwał właśnie w Łatgalii (1561–1772), czyli w tzw. Inflantach Polskich. Tam też zauważalny był największy wpływ kultury polskiej na ludową kulturę łotewską.Okres ten był negatywnie oceniany przez wielu historyków łotewskich. Krytyce poddawana była skala oddziaływania kultury polskiej na rodzimą kulturę łotewską, a także na ogólny rozwój ziem dawnych Inflant Polskich.Negatywnie był też oceniany udział szlachty polskiej w rozwoju Łatgalii. Uważając te ziemie za swoje, nie była ona zainteresowana krzewieniem idei narodowych wśród miejscowej ludności chłopskiej, która, według możnowładztwa polskiego, już w niedługim czasie miała ulec całkowitej polonizacji.Ogromny wpływ inflanckiej szlachty polskiej na kulturę, gospodarkę, a także na kreowanie tożsamości narodowej łatgalskich Łotyszy, programowe działania duchowieństwa polskiego oraz polonizacja miejscowej ludności przyczyniły się do negatywnej oceny wpływów polskich na ziemiach łotewskich.Przedstawione opracowanie jest próbą naszkicowania zagadnienia, któremu dotychczas badacze polscy nie poświęcili większej uwagi, a które to ze względu na bogaty materiał wymaga szczegółowych i szeroko zakrojonych badań.

scholarly journals The Role of Individual- and Contextual-Level Social Capital in Product Boycotting: A Multilevel Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Zasuwa
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Consumer Participation ◽  
Social Rules ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Consumer Activism ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The Individual

Product boycotts represent an important form of sustainable consumption, as withholding purchasing can restrain firms from damaging the natural environment or breaking social rules. However, our understanding of consumer participation in these protests is limited. Most previous studies have focused on the psychological and economic determinants of product boycotting. Drawing on social capital literature, this study builds a framework that explains how individual- and contextual-level social capital affects consumer participation in boycotts of products. A multilevel logistic regression analysis of 29 country representative samples derived from the European Social Survey (N = 54221) shows that at the individual level product boycotting is associated with a person’s social ties, whereas at the country level, generalized trust and social networks positively affect consumer decisions to take part in these protests. These results suggest that to better understand differences among countries in consumer activism, it is necessary to consider the role of social capital as an important predictor of product boycotting.

Tumoral Drug Metabolism: Overview and Its Implications for Cancer Therapy

2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 205-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Michael ◽  
M.M. Doherty
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Therapy ◽  
Drug Metabolism ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Drug Efficacy ◽  
Metabolizing Enzymes ◽  
Therapeutic Implications ◽  
Firm Data ◽  
The Individual

Drug-metabolizing enzymes (DME) in tumors are capable of biotransforming a variety of xenobiotics, including antineoplastics, resulting in either their activation or detoxification. Many studies have reported the presence of DME in tumors; however, heterogenous detection methodology and patient cohorts have not generated consistent, firm data. Nevertheless, various gene therapy approaches and oral prodrugs have been devised, taking advantage of tumoral DME. With the need to target and individualize anticancer therapies, tumoral processes such as drug metabolism must be considered as both a potential mechanism of resistance to therapy and a potential means of achieving optimal therapy. This review discusses cytotoxic drug metabolism by tumors, through addressing the classes of the individual DME, their relevant substrates, and their distribution in specific malignancies. The limitations of preclinical models relative to the clinical setting and lack of data on the changes of DME with disease progression and host response will be discussed. The therapeutic implications of tumoral drug metabolism will be addressed—in particular, the role of DME in predicting therapeutic response, the activation of prodrugs, and the potential for modulation of their activity for gain are considered, with relevant clinical examples. The contribution of tumoral drug metabolism to cancer therapy can only be truly ascertained through large-scale prospective studies and supported by new technologies for tumor sampling and genetic analysis such as microarrays. Only then can efforts be concentrated in the design of better prodrugs or combination therapy to improve drug efficacy and individualize therapy.

scholarly journals Public support for the right to euthanasia: Impact of traditional religiosity and autonomy values across 37 nations

2018 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 301-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maksim Rudnev ◽  
Aleksandra Savelkaeva
Keyword(s):  
Public Support ◽  
Independent Effect ◽  
World Values Survey ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Country Level ◽  
A Value ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right ◽  
Moral Attitudes

This article takes a postmodernization perspective on support for the right to euthanasia by treating it as an expression of a process of value change, as a preference for quality over quantity of life. Using the data from the fifth wave of the World Values Survey, this study attempts to answer the question of whether the mass support for the right to euthanasia is an expression of autonomy values rather than just a function of a low religiosity. Multilevel regressions demonstrate that both traditional religiosity and autonomy values have a high impact at the individual level, while at the country level only the effects of traditional religiosity are significant. Autonomy values have stronger association with attitudes to euthanasia in countries with higher levels of postmaterialism. Multilevel path analysis demonstrates that the effect of religiosity is partially and weakly mediated by the values of autonomy at both levels. Although religiosity was found to have a much stronger impact, the independent effect of autonomy values suggests that mass support for the right to euthanasia is a value-driven preference for quality over quantity of life. We conclude by suggesting that the fall in traditional religiosity might emphasize the role of values in moral attitudes regulation.

scholarly journals Pooling of samples to optimize SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis by RT-qPCR: comparative analysis of two protocols.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabiana Volpato ◽  
Daiana Lima-Morales ◽  
Priscila Lamb Wink ◽  
Julia Willig ◽  
Fernanda de-Paris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Diagnostic Yield ◽  
Rna Extraction ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Positive Individual ◽  
Sample Pooling ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Pooled Samples

RT-qPCR for SARS-CoV-2 is the main diagnostic test used to identify the novel coronavirus. Several countries have used large scale SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR testing as one of the important strategies for combating the pandemic. In order to process the massive needs for coronavirus testing, the usual throughput of routine clinical laboratories has reached and often surpassed its limits and new approaches to cope with this challenge must be developed. This study has aimed to evaluate the use pool of samples as a strategy to optimize the diagnostic of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR in a general population. A total of 220 naso/orofaryngeal swab samples were collected and tested using two different protocols of sample pooling. In the first protocol (Protocol A); 10 clinical samples were pooled before RNA extraction. The second protocol (Protocol B) consisted of pooling the already extracted RNAs from 10 individual samples. Results from Protocol A were identical (100% agreement) with the individual results. However, for results from Protocol B, reduced agreement (91%) was observed in relation to results obtained by individual testing. Inconsistencies observed were related to RT-qPCR results with higher Cycle Thresholds (Ct > 32.73). Furthermore, in pools containing more than one positive individual, the Ct of the pool was equivalent to the lowest Ct among the individual results. These results provide additional evidence in favor of the clinical use of pooled samples for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis by RT-qPCR and suggest that pooling of samples before RNA extraction is preferrable in terms of diagnostic yield.

scholarly journals The Swedish paradox explained? Investigating the role of economic inequality and risk perceptions in the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nate Breznau ◽  
Lisa Heukamp ◽  
Hung Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Economic Inequality ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Government Interventions ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Linear Association ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Economic inequality is understood as a country-level risk factor that increases the spread of infectious diseases. The Novel Coronavirus presents somewhat contradictory evidence of this because the most equal countries in the world experienced deaths per capita as high as the most unequal. We label this the ‘Swedish paradox’. We theorize that inequality has a non-linear association with disease spread because of risk perceptions among the public. Risk perceptions that are extreme in either direction – toward nonchalance or outright panic – lead to behaviors that increase infection1. Highly equal countries like Sweden had very low risk perceptions at the beginning of the pandemic and this may have led to individual and public actions that increase infection risk. To test this, we modeled the role of economic inequality on infection through the mediating role of risk perceptions in April, in 74 countries. We measured the intensity of the outbreak and government interventions in March as key predictors of risk perceptions. This lets us identify ‘over’ or ‘under’ concern and whether these extremes in the distribution of risk perceptions predicts infection increase in May, measured as death rates with an 18-day lead. We find that inequality has a large linear association with risk perceptions in April (0.50 as a standardized [beta] coefficient). We find that risk perceptions in April have a moderate association with infection increase in May (0.24 beta) and these effects are non-linear. Societies below a disposable income inequality Gini of around 31 were prone to slightly more infection in May as a function of less inequality, whereas societies above 31 were prone to much more infection as a function of more inequality, all else equal. This offers some clarification of the Swedish paradox; however, the biggest effects of inequality on infection occur at the upper end of the distribution meaning inequality is only a small piece of this puzzle.

scholarly journals The Role of Learning Management Systems in Developing Learning Skills: The Case of Blackboard

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 163-205
Author(s):  
Jamilah Alokluk ◽  
Aisha Al-Amri
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Electronic Systems ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Learning Skills ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Student Member ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Quality Learning

The current study aimed at measuring the efficiency of Blackboard in developing the collaborative and individual learning skills for Taibah University students. Moreover, it sought to unravel the differences (if any) in the effectiveness of the system in developing the above-mentioned skills according to the change of the user (student, staff member), gender (male, female), and the change of college to which the user belongs (scientific, humanitarian). The study adopted an analytical descriptive approach as it suits the nature of the study and its variables. Doing so, the researchers have built a learning tool which consists of two lists of e-learning skills; the first is for the individual e-learning skills and is divided into three main focuses including 45 paragraphs, and the second for the collaborative e-learning skills and is divided into three main focuses including 26 paragraphs. The study sample consisted of members of staff, students (males and females) distributed across colleges of Taibah University (n= 17). The study came up with some results of which the most significant were: the Blackboard’s efficiency in developing the individual e-learning skills for the students is high with an efficiency average of..... And its efficiency in developing the collaborative e-learning skills for the students is also high with an efficiency average of.. Which reflects the importance of integrating the electronic systems within the learning and teaching processes and underlines its positive role in achieving the quality learning at low cost and effort. In addition, the study came up with the absence of indicative differences statistically in developing the individual and collaborative e-learning skills as per the user's change (student - member staff), or per the gender’s change (male-female), or per the sort of college change to which the user belongs (scientific - humanitarian). The study recommends the conduct of periodic assessment processes for the system’s efficiency in developing students’ various learning skills and calls for conducting similar studies to determine the necessary technological requirements for developing Blackboard on the basis of the individual and collaborative e-learning skills.

scholarly journals PERSPECTIVES FOR COMPETITION IN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1643-1648
Author(s):  
Yuliyan Velkov
Keyword(s):  
Value Creation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Competitive Interaction ◽  
Patient Choice ◽  
Healthcare Industry ◽  
Healthcare Experiences ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The Individual

A paradox has been established in the modern healthcare industry - consumers can choose between many alternatives but with high uncertainty, while healthcare establishments have numerous possibilities, but they function in conditions of rigorous demand, globalization and large-scale technological efficiency. This requires a re-evaluation of the classical understanding of competition in value creation - healthcare effects (for patients) and financial gains (for the performance of medical and related activities). Today, competition can be explained as a competition for the creation, supply and realization of healthcare products and related services and goods. It is a dynamic process of competition and, in a more general sense, interaction between competing subjects under conditions of significant state interference. It reflects the modern perceptions of health, the improvement of biotechnology and pharmacy, the changed role of the patients - more and more informed, educated, active and united in thematic groups. For the realization with a focus on personal patient preferences, this embodies the characteristics of the interaction between the healthcare establishment and the patient. Competition integrates business logic and patient thinking. In the context of the concept of joint value creation, it covers the intense interactions between healthcare institutions and the individual. Competition in the healthcare industry is based on dialogue, access, risk assessment and transparency at every stage of value creation and realization. This is realized as a competitive interaction in the environment (network) from the influences of healthcare institutions and other producers of medical and non-medical services and goods, thematic associations and regulations. This is a rivalry in creating and offering healthcare products tailored to individual patient's views, preferences, expectations and financial capabilities. The prospects for a competitive race are a transition from competitiveness to competitive interaction. In parallel with the improvement of the operational efficiency of the medical institution, this imposes, the increasing individualization of the created healthcare products. This requires the development of an environment for shared healthcare experiences with the customer. Thus, the development of competition is connected with the realization of the competitive potential of the healthcare establishment through the prism of patient choice - joint creation of healthcare experience through many channels, through options, through transactions and at an appropriate price-to-experience ratio. Consequently, the competitiveness targeting passive patients in need of treatment is shifted from an effective healthcare establishment-to-patient interaction in order to jointly provide patient satisfaction. Competition is a race between dependant healthcare establishments; it is a rivalry between producers of healthcare effects interacting with patients among many environmental influences. Contemporary competition in the healthcare industry is a mechanism for jointly creating healthcare effects by interaction between a healthcare establishment and a patient with the active role of those in need of treatment. This is realized in the form of competition and co-operation in the course of the creation of individualized healthcare experiences. Competition combines a variety of subjective patient needs, medicinal product characteristics, and network experience qualities. As a guideline for improving competition, we can point to enhancing the quality of the environment, enhancing the possibility to take into account patient need heterogeneity, increasing adaptability to changes in demand, and enhancing capabilities to mobilize all potential competencies.

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