Evaluating Board Roles Performance in Adopting Corporate Social Responsibility （CSR） Practices

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the board roles that make a board effective in the performance of adopting corporate social responsibility （CSR） practices. This paper examines directors＇ perceptions of the three main roles： monitoring, service, and strategic, which provide tools for critically understanding how the board adds the value in moving the organization towards more CSR practices. The stakeholder theory is used to distinguish the influence of the three main roles on the adoption of CSR practices. Primary data were collected for this research by conducting structured questionnaires with a sample of 461 directors from Saudi listed companies for study purpose. The results show that an appropriate mix of directors＇ roles and the development of sound board monitoring and service roles are the most crucial determinants of CSR adoption in Saudi listed companies. As the extant corporate governance and CSR literatures do not provide a clear perspective with contradictory outcomes about board roles in influencing CSR practices, the originality of this research is its contribution by evaluating the directors＇ perceptions of developing a direct relationship between the board roles and the adoption of CSR practices. Furthermore, the use of the stakeholder theory provides additional insights into identifying the most influential board role factors enhancing stakeholders＇ expectations of CSR practices.

Roles and Responsibilities of Stakeholders towards Ensuring Health and Safety at Construction Site

Health and Safety issues in the construction industry are of much concern to stakeholders, particularly because of their impact on the industry. This paper explored the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in ensuring health and safety at the construction site. A well-structured interview guide was adopted for the qualitative study. Content analysis was adopted for the analysis of the results. The study revealed that the twelve roles identified by the stakeholders are only limited to the few laws and regulations they are aware of. Whereas the Contractors identified provision of welfare facilities, provision of health and safety policy, and health and safety plan as their key roles, the Consultants’ role was mainly limited to provision of competent site agent and provision of site layout. Abiding by the contractors’ instruction was identified by the Construction Workers as their key responsibilities. The local government officials also identified enforcement of CHS laws and regulations and reporting of incidents to the appropriate authorities, whereas the traditional authorities identified the enforcement of CHS laws and regulations including bye laws and enforcement of customs as their key roles. The findings further show that the stakeholders failed to appreciate some key roles and responsibilities enshrined in CHS laws and regulations in Ghana. The findings contribute to knowledge on stakeholders’ responsibilities in ensuring CHS, and provide valuable reference and insight to practitioners on the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders. It is recommended to train and educate stakeholders on all the relevant laws and regulations on CHS in order to improve health and safety at the construction site. The government should also set up a body such as Construction Authority to educate, coordinate, monitor and audit the activities of stakeholders to improve CHS at construction sites.

The Role of Blood Station Quality Management System in the Quality Control of Blood Collection

With the continuous development of China’s medical industry in recent years,relevant staff has also paid more attention to the quality management of blood stations,and China has gradually improved during the setting of laws and regulations for blood station quality management.The policies set by the Chinese government have been fully implemented through the reasonable implementation of relevant staff.With the continuous development of China’s medical industry in recent years,relevant staff have also paid more attention to the quality management of blood stations,and China has gradually improved during the setting of laws and regulations for blood station quality management.The policies set by the Chinese government have been fully implemented through the reasonable implementation of relevant staff.On this basis,the management model of the Chinese blood station has been continuously innovated in the application process,and the blood collection work of the Chinese blood station has been greatly developed.However,when the blood station in China is conducting blood collection,its quality control program is still not fully mature.Therefore,in this context,it is necessary to do a good job in the construction of the corresponding blood station quality management system and make effective adjustments,which will give full play to the role of the management system in the quality control process of blood collection.In this paper,the construction plan of the blood station quality management system is analyzed to explore the role of the blood station quality management system in the process of blood collection quality control,aiming to provide assistance for the quality management of blood collection in China.

The Influence of'Last One Kilometer'Service Quality on Customer Loyalty under C2C Mode--The Mediating Role of Customer Satis-faction

Via questionnaire investigation on express users in Wuhan colleges and universities,it is found that client satisfaction plays partial mediator role between service quality of express industry and client loyalty. Moreover,correlation regression analysis of data is conducted by SPSS17. 0 software. It is found that communication quality,order quality,delivery quality and remedy quality have significantly positive impacts on client satisfaction,while personalized service quality does not have significant impact on client satisfaction; communication quality,order quality,personalized service quality and remedy quality have significantly positive impacts on client loyalty,while communication quality does not have significant impact on client loyalty. Finally,countermeasures and suggestions are proposed according to the above conclusions.

Regulatory role of microRNA on inflammatory responses of diabetic retinopathy

The prevalence of diabetes has been increasing in the U.S., with diabetes as a significant concern for patients＇ physical and financial health. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of vi- sual loss in working-age of adults and is characterized by retinal neurodegeneration and microvascular abnormalities in the eye. Hyperglycemia is one significant risk factor for diabetic retinop- athy and can result in increased inflammatory responses and vascular dysfunction. However, the molecular mechanisms un-derlying these pathologies are not fully understood. Although treatments are currently available for the patients with prolif-erative diabetic retinopathy or macular edema, including laser photocoagulation, steroids, or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） injections, many patients fail to respond to these therapies. Therefore, it is imperative to develop additional novel therapeutics for diabetic retinopathy.

Response to Comment on "The role of wildlife (wild birds) in the global transmission of antimicrobial resistance genes"

DEAR EDITOR,Since our first identification of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene mcr-1 in 2015 （Liu et al., 2016）, it has been described in human clinics, domestic animals, foods, and the environment worldwide （Schwarz ＆ Johnson, 2016）. Although it is still rare, the emergence of mcr-I in wild animals is of great concern. We summarized two previous reports on mcr-1 in wild birds from Lithuania and Argentina to describe its emergence and characteristics in wildlife and highlight the potentially important role of wild animals, particularly birds, in its global transmission （Wang et al., 2017）. The first detection of mcr-1 in wildlife in Asia was identified in an extended-spectrum β- lactamase-producing Escherichia coil strain isolated from Eurasian coot （Fulica atra）,

Potential therapeutic interventions based on the role of the endoplasmic reticulum stress response in progressive neurodegenerative diseases

In 1945,Porter et al.published an electon microscopy study of cultured chick fibroblasts in which they observed：＇a granular background and details of a darker lacelike reticulum which in places appears to be made up of chains of＂vesicles＂＇（Porter et al.,1945）.This constituted the first published observation of the endoplasmic reticulum（ER）and,while it was not evident at that time,this cytoplasmic system of interconnecting membrane-lined channels, comprising vesicles, tubules and cisternae, has numerous important functions.

Prediction of Apple Fruit Quality by Soil Nutrient Content and Artificial Neural Network

The effect of soil nutrient content on fruit yield and fruit quality is very important.To explore the effect of soil nutrients on apple quality we investigated 200 fruit samples from 40 orchards in Feng County,Jiangsu Province.Soil mineral elements and fruit quality were measured.The effect of soil nutrient content on fruit quality was analyzed by artificial neural network(ANN)model.The results showed that the prediction accuracy was highest(R2=0.851,0.847,0.885,0.678 and 0.746)in mass per fruit(MPF),hardness(HB),soluble solids concentrations(SSC),titratable acid concentration(TA)and solid-acid ratio(SSC/TA),respectively.The sensitivity analysis of the prediction model showed that soil available P,K,Ca and Mg contents had the greatest impact on the quality of apple fruit.Response surface method(RSM)was performed to determine the optimum range of the available P,K,Ca,and Mg contents in orchards In Feng County,which were 10∼20 mg⋅kg^(−1),170∼200 mg⋅kg^(−1),1000∼1500 mg⋅kg^(−1),and 80∼200 mg⋅kg^(−1),respectively.The research also concluded that improving the content of available P and available Ca in orchard soil was crucial to improve apple fruit quality in Feng County,Jiangsu Province.

Regulation and function of endoplasmic reticulum autophagy in neurodegenerative diseases

The endoplasmic reticulum,a key cellular organelle,regulates a wide variety of cellular activities.Endoplasmic reticulum autophagy,one of the quality control systems of the endoplasmic reticulum,plays a pivotal role in maintaining endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis by controlling endoplasmic reticulum turnover,remodeling,and proteostasis.In this review,we briefly describe the endoplasmic reticulum quality control system,and subsequently focus on the role of endoplasmic reticulum autophagy,emphasizing the spatial and temporal mechanisms underlying the regulation of endoplasmic reticulum autophagy according to cellular requirements.We also summarize the evidence relating to how defective or abnormal endoplasmic reticulum autophagy contributes to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases.In summary,this review highlights the mechanisms associated with the regulation of endoplasmic reticulum autophagy and how they influence the pathophysiology of degenerative nerve disorders.This review would help researchers to understand the roles and regulatory mechanisms of endoplasmic reticulum-phagy in neurodegenerative disorders.

Phosphatidic acid plays key roles regulating plant development and stress responses

Phospholipids, including phosphatidic acid （PA）, phosphatidylcholine （PC）, phosphatidylethanolamine （PE）, phosphatidylglycerol （PC）, phosphatidylserine （PS） and phosphoinositides, have emerged as an important class of cellular messenger molecules in various cellular and physiological processes, of which PA attracts much attention of researchers. In addition to its effect on stimulating vesicle trafficking, many studies have demonstrated that PA plays a crucial role in various signaling pathways by binding target proteins and regulating their activity and subcellular localization. Here, we summarize the functional mechanisms and target proteins underlying PA-mediated regulation of cellular signaling, development, hormonal responses, and stress responses in plants.

A study of the relationship between professional values and ethical climate and nurses'professional quality of life in Iran

Objective:To explore the relationship between nursing professional values and ethical climate and nurses'professional quality of life.Methods:The present study is a descriptive,cross-sectional work in which 400 nurses from various wards of hospitals in the south-east of Iran were studied.Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of four sections:demographics,Nurses'Professional Values Scale-Revised(NPVS-R),the Hospital Ethical Climate Survey(HECS),and the Professional Quality of Life Scale(ProQOL).Results:The total mean scores for professional values were 105.29±15.60.The total mean score for the ethical climate was 100.09±17.11.The mean scores for the indexes of compassion satisfaction,burnout,and secondary traumatic stress were 45.29±8.93,34.38±6.84,and 32.15±7.02 respectively.The relationships between professional values and the indexes of compassion satisfaction(r=0.56),burnout(r=0.26),and secondary traumatic stress(r=0.18)were found to be positive and significant(P<0.001).Also,the relationships between ethical climate and the items of compassion satisfaction(r=0.60,P<0.001),burnout(r=0.15,P=0.002)were found to be positive and significant.Conclusion:An understanding of nurses'perception of professional values and improving the ethical climate at work can help nursing administrators identify more effective strategies toward increasing compassion satisfaction and lessening bumout and work-related stress.

Authors' response to “Maternal age as a potential explanation of the role of the L allele of the serotonin transporter gene in anxiety and depression in Asians”

In the letter to the editor, Dr. Comings et al. proposed a potential explanation of our findings that the L allele rather than S allele of 5-HTTLPR was associated with higher anxiety levels and reduced amygdala-prefrontal cortex （PFC） connectivity in Han Chinese[1], which demonstrated an ＇allele reversal＇ in the genetics of the 5-HTTLPR gene in Asians versus Caucasians. The authors alleged that this ＇allele reversal＇ might simply result from maternal age and suggested that we test this on our datasets. Unfortunately,

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Thinking of Paolo Emilio Cassandro

This paper, which is to be collocated with international research studies of the historical origins of corporate social responsibility （CSR）, deals with both the theme of CSR itself and the topics related to it through an examination of the key characteristics of the theories of the master in the field of Italian Economia Aziendale, Paolo Emilio Cassandro （1910-2004）, who wrote an impressive number of works on numerous subjects that are of notable current relevance, including the social role of business, the concept of added value, and the role of the social report in the process of providing information for external purposes. Through an analytical-descriptive approach, our work will focus in particular on certain aspects of his life and works, which show beyond doubt the great value of his contribution to the advancement, at both national and international levels, of research into CSR. The main aim of what follows is to highlight not only the innovative nature of Cassandro＇s studies of the subject when compared with other research carried out in Italy in the second half of the 20th century but also how strikingly relevant they are to CSR as a topic for international scholars today.

Impacts of nighttime post-anthesis warming on rice productivity and grain quality in East China

The impacts of nighttime post-anthesis warming on rice productivity and grain quality in East China were evaluated for two cultivars, II You 128, an indica rice, and Wuyunjing 7, a japonica rice. Warming by 3.0 °C stimulated the nighttime respiration rate and decreased the photosynthesis rate, resulting in significant decreases of 21.2% and 24.9% in aboveground biomass accumulation for II You 128 and Wuyunjing 7, respectively. Warming significantly reduced the rates of seed setting and grain filling, especially of inferior kernels(those lower in panicles), while the filling rate of superior kernels remained almost unchanged. As a result, 1000-grain weight and grain yield were respectively 3.7% and 30.0% lower for II You 128 and 12.8% and 34.3% for Wuyunjing 7 in warmed plots than in the unwarmed control. Nighttime warming also significantly reduced the grain milling and appearance quality of both varieties. More negative effects of warming on inferior than on superior kernels were found. The above results have important implications for rice variety cultivation in East China.

Expanding Older Adults’ Care Choices Utilizing the Proceeds of Reciprocated Volunteerism: Capitalizing on Ghana’s Digitalization Artillery

Ghana has been a collectivistic society. However, due to social change, this value is fast being replaced by individualistic tendencies with implications for age-oriented care provision and receipt. This paper investigates the participation in the socially productive strategy of using ageing-oriented volunteerism to leverage the receipt of care in later life utilizing a quantitative dataset. The results show that volunteering may be undertaken with old age in sight. This needs to take place under circumstances of good communication skills among others. The accumulated time needs to be recorded in a time bank and redeemed with a time bank card in later life. Two-dimensional leveraging points pertain in this context: first, leveraging volunteerism for short or long-term care in the nearest future;second, technological innovation’s facilitation of the same. Volunteerism in this context has the attribute of low levels of depression, with implications for quality of life. These are discussed in the light of the social care pillar of ageing social policy. The paper argues that adopting volunteerism with reciprocation as the ultimate goal constitutes a kickback model for care receipt in later life. It served as a choice of care in later life which is a shock absorber to inadequate formal support infrastructure and individualistic social tendencies in Ghana. It is reminiscent of resistance to the shrinkage of older persons’ social integration in their social world.

Responsiveness and minimal clinically important difference of the Chinese version of the Low Vision Quality of Life Questionnaire after cataract surgery

AIM: To investigate the Chinese version of the Low Vision Quality of Life Questionnaire(CLVQOL) as an instrument for obtaining clinically important changes after cataract surgery.METHODS: Patients underwent cataract surgery in Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, who fit the inclusion criteria were recruited. Two CLVQOLs were administered, including a preoperative CLVQOL and a CLVQOL at the end of the 3 mo follow-up period, and were completed using face-to-face interviews or phone interviews conducted by trained investigators. The minimal clinically important difference(MCID) was calculated using an anchor-based method and a distribution method. In addition, the responsiveness of the questionnaire was measured.RESULTS: A total of 155 residents were enrolled. The average visual acuity(VA) preoperatively was 0.08(SD=0.05), and it increased to 0.47(SD=0.28) at the end of followup. Statistically significant positive changes in the CLVQOL scores indicated significant improvement of vision related quality of life after cataract surgery. With the larger value between the two results as the final value, the MCID values of the CLVQOL(scores of the four scales as well as the total score) were 8.94, 2.61, 4.34, 3.10 and 17.63, respectively. The CLVQOL has both good internal and external responsiveness.CONCLUSION: CLVQOL scores are appropriate instruments for obtaining clinically important changes after cataract surgery. This study is an effective exploration for establishingcataract surgery efficacy standards, which helps clinical and scientific research workers in ophthalmology to gain a more in-depth understanding when using CLVQOL.

Effects of dietary phosphorous supplementation on laying performance,egg quality,bone health and immune responses of laying hens challenged with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide

Background: Phosphorus is an essential nutrient to maintain poultry health and performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary phosphorus levels on egg production, egg quality, bone health, immune responses of laying hens challenged with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide.Methods: Three hundred laying hens at 28 wk were randomly divided into 2 dietary treatments with 10 replicates of 15 birds. The wheat-soybean based diets contained either 0.12% or 0.4% non-phytate phosphorus(NPP). At 32 wk of age, all the birds of each dietary treatment were injected into the abdomen with 1.5 mg/kg body weight(BW) of either LPS or saline once a day at 24-h intervals for continuous 9 d. The performance of laying hens was evaluated for 9 d. The eggs after the fifth injection were collected to value the egg quality. Three hours after the first injection, blood was collected to measure serum metabolite and immune response associated parameters.Three hours after the fifth injection, the hens were euthanized to obtain tibia, cecal tonsils and jejunum.Results: Compared with saline-injected hens, LPS-injected hens had lower feed intake and egg production(P < 0.05).Eggshell thickness, strength, albumin height and Haugh unit were significantly increased in LPS-injected hens compared with saline-injected hens(P < 0.05). Furthermore, laying hens challenged with LPS had lower villious height/crypt depth ration than those received saline. Serum calcium, phosphorus and SOD activities significantly decreased in the LPS-injected hens compared with the control(P < 0.05). LPS up-regulated expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10 in cecum, and serum concentration of MDA, IL-1β and IL-6(P < 0.05), whereas 0.40% dietary non-phytate phosphorus supplementation significantly increased(P < 0.05) villi height/crypt depth ratio, decreased(P < 0.05) serum MDA and IFN-γ concentration compared with the 0.12% non-phytate phosphorus group.Conclusion: In summary, this study demonstrates that 0.40% dietary non-phytate phosphorus supplementation significantly increased calcium and phosphorus levels of eggshell, increased villi height/crypt depth ratio, decreased serum MDA and IFN-γ concentration compared with the 0.12% non-phytate phosphorus groups. The results indicate that high level of dietary non-phytate phosphorus exerts a potential effect in alleviating systemic inflammation of LPSchallenged laying hens.

Results and analysis:a pilot study on quality of life of soldiers in the first response army

Objective： To explore the fundamental theory, methods and data of the quality of life （QOL） of soldiers and its influence factors in the first response army. Methods： Totally 215 soldiers in the first response army of a military area in China were inquired by using self-regulating questionnaire and WHOQOL-BREF （Chinese Edition）. Resalts： WHOQOL-BREF had good acceptability, reliability and validity in the first response army. QOL of soldiers in the first response army was middling. The influencing factors of QOL of the soldiers in first army includes self-report health, different areas where the army men come from, different arms of services, whether only child in family. And the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion： WHOQOL-BREF is fit for evaluating the quality of life of soldiers in the first response army. There are differences of the quality of life among the soldiers in the first response army. So we should take appropriate measures to improve the soldiers＇ quality of life.

The Effects of Community Responsibility on the Long-Term Performance of Small Grocery Store Industry in Thailand

This research currently investigates the severe situation of fierce competition for traditional small grocery stores in grocery retailing industry and the studies of corporate social responsibility （CSR） of small grocery retailing shops in Thailand. There are gaps in literatures： （1） Most of the researches try to study CSR for small- and medium-size enterprises （SMEs） business related to general society. Thus, no paper has studied CSR for a specific community, where the small grocery stores are located; and （2） Papers studying the relationship of marketing as the successful strategy for small grocery stores in competing among grocery retailing industry are scarce. Therefore, the author proposes a new variable---community responsibility and the model of the effects of community responsibility on the long-term performance, in order to reduce the serious problem. By testing the model with the survey data, the author finds that the effects of community responsibility of grocery stores （product） on the long-term relationship are strongly and positively significant. While the effects of community responsibility of grocery stores （environment） on the long-term relationship are not significant.