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One of the greatest problems facing luxury goods firms in a globalizing market is that of counterfeiting. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the different types of counterfeiting that take place in the fashion industry and the ethical issues raised. We argue that the problem partly lies in the industry itself. Copying of designs is endemic and condoned, which raises several ethical dilemmas in passing judgment on the practice of counterfeiting. We analyze the ethical issues in a number of different types of counterfeiting encountered in the fashion industry. We conclude with some observations on the general implications for ethics in intellectual property rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat expansion mutation in the chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) gene is a major genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (C9ALS/FTD). In this study, we demonstrate that the zinc finger (ZF) transcriptional regulator Yin Yang 1 (YY1) binds to the promoter region of the planar cell polarity gene Fuzzy to regulate its transcription. We show that YY1 interacts with GGGGCC repeat RNA via its ZF and that this interaction compromises the binding of YY1 to the FuzzyYY1 promoter sites, resulting in the downregulation of Fuzzy transcription. The decrease in Fuzzy protein expression in turn activates the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway and induces synaptic deficits in C9ALS/FTD neurons. Our findings demonstrate a C9orf72 GGGGCC RNA-initiated perturbation of YY1–Fuzzy transcriptional control that implicates aberrant Wnt/β-catenin signalling in C9ALS/FTD-associated neurodegeneration. This pathogenic cascade provides a potential new target for disease-modifying therapy. Intronic GGGGCC repeat expansion in the C9orf72 gene causes ALS/FTD. Here the authors show that mutant GGGGCC RNA triggers YY1-Fuzzy transcriptional dysregulation which subsequently induces Wnt/β-catenin pathway and activates cell death in C9ALS/FTD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat expansion mutation in the chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) gene is a major genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (C9ALS/FTD). In this study, we demonstrate that the zinc finger (ZF) transcriptional regulator Yin Yang 1 (YY1) binds to the promoter region of the planar cell polarity gene Fuzzy to regulate its transcription. We show that YY1 interacts with GGGGCC repeat RNA via its ZF and that this interaction compromises the binding of YY1 to the FuzzyYY1 promoter sites, resulting in the downregulation of Fuzzy transcription. The decrease in Fuzzy protein expression in turn activates the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway and induces synaptic deficits in C9ALS/FTD neurons. Our findings demonstrate a C9orf72 GGGGCC RNA-initiated perturbation of YY1–Fuzzy transcriptional control that implicates aberrant Wnt/β-catenin signalling in C9ALS/FTD-associated neurodegeneration. This pathogenic cascade provides a potential new target for disease-modifying therapy. Intronic GGGGCC repeat expansion in the C9orf72 gene causes ALS/FTD. Here the authors show that mutant GGGGCC RNA triggers YY1-Fuzzy transcriptional dysregulation which subsequently induces Wnt/β-catenin pathway and activates cell death in C9ALS/FTD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study assessed bone height between novel tapered implants at different inter-implant thread peak (TP) distances, and the impact of TP distance from outer buccal bone (BB) on marginal bone levels (MBL). Materials and Methods: Fully tapered implants with 0.5-mm thread depth and TP diameter 1 mm wider than the shoulder diameter were placed in healed ridges of minipigs. On one side, four implants were placed with inter-implant TP distances of 1, 2, or 3 mm corresponding to inter-implant implant shoulder distances of 2, 3, and 4 mm respectively. Three implants were placed on the other side with TP distances to outer BB of > 1 mm, 0.5–1 mm, or < 0.5 mm. After 12 weeks, (a) first bone-to-implant contact (fBIC), total BIC, bone area-to-total area (BATA), and coronal bone height between implants (Bi ½ max) for inter-implant distance, and (b) fBIC, BIC, and perpendicular crest to implant shoulder (pCIS) for BB were evaluated. Results: No significant differences in bone healing and inter-implant bone height were noted for any of the TP distances. BB resorption was significant when TP distance to outer BB was < 0.5 mm. However, fBIC was lowest with TP to outer BB of 1.75 mm. Conclusions: Inter-implant bone height between adjacent implants can be maintained even at an inter-implant TP distance as low as 1 mm. A minimum TP to outer BB distance of 0.75 mm is required for predictable maintenance of MBL. Clinical relevance: Inter-implant distance and BB thickness are clinically relevant and require preclinical research to clarify concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study evaluated the clinical safety and efficacy of tanfanercept (HBM9036) ophthalmic solution as a novel treatment for dry eye disease (DED) in a controlled adverse environment (CAE) study conducted in China. Methods: In a single-center, double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled study, 100 patients received 0.25% tanfanercept, or placebo, twice daily for eight weeks. A mobile international CAE® DE Model was used for patient selection with a standardized challenge endpoint. Primary efficacy endpoint was fluorescein inferior corneal staining score (ICSS) pre- to post-CAE challenge from baseline. Secondary endpoints included Schirmer's Tear Test, Tear-Film Break-Up Time, Ocular Discomfort Score, Ora Calibra® Ocular Discomfort and 4-Symptom Questionnaire, total corneal staining score (TCSS), and drop comfort. Signs and symptoms were assessed both pre- and post-CAE to evaluate the efficacy of tanfanercept on both environmental and CAE endpoints. Results: The tanfanercept treatment group showed improvement in ICSS pre- to post-CAE change from baseline scores when compared to placebo (− 0.61 ± 0.11 and − 0.54 ± 0.11, respectively; mean difference = 0.07, p = 0.65). TCSS pre–post-CAE change from baseline scores was also in favor of active when compared to placebo (− 1.03 ± 0.21 and − 0.67 ± 0.21, respectively; mean difference = 0.37, p = 0.23). Schirmer's score improvement was demonstrated in favor of active (1.87 ± 0.62 mm) as compared to placebo (1.28 ± 0.62 mm; mean difference = 0.59 mm, p = 0.50). Change from baseline in mean Tear-Film Break-up Time favored active treatment over placebo (mean difference = 1.21 s, p = 0.45). Notably, the tanfanercept showed more obvious benefits for each DED sign in a subgroup of subjects ≥ 35 years of age. Tanfanercept was well tolerated with no serious adverse events occurring during the study. Conclusion: Tanfanercept demonstrated improvements in favor of active as compared to placebo in the signs of DED, being safe and well tolerated. These data support further evaluation of tanfanercept for the treatment of DED in China. Trial registration: This study was retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04092907) on September 17, 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: We investigated the safety and explore potential efficacy of batoclimab administered subcutaneously in Chinese patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). Methods: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel phase II study was conducted. First, in the double-blinded treatment period, eligible patients received batoclimab (680 mg), batoclimab (340 mg), or placebo on days 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and 36. In the open-label treatment period, patients received batoclimab (340 mg) on days 50, 64, and 78. In the follow-up period, patients were examined on days 92, 106, and 120. The primary endpoint was Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) score change on day 43 from baseline. Results: In total, 30 eligible patients were enrolled, with 11, 10, and 9 patients in the batoclimab 680 mg, batoclimab 340 mg, and placebo groups, respectively. MG-ADL score changes from baseline to day 43 were −2.2 ± 0.9, −4.7 ± 0.6, and −4.4 ± 1.0 in the placebo, batoclimab 340 mg, and 680 mg groups, respectively. Similar changes were observed in Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis, Myasthenia Gravis Composite, and 15-item Myasthenia Gravis Quality of Life scores in the placebo, batoclimab 340 mg, and 680 mg groups, respectively. The proportion of patients with clinically significant improvement on day 43 was higher in the batoclimab groups. On day 120, all four scales in the placebo group had more significant improvement compared with the batoclimab groups, with total serum IgG levels reaching a plateau. No death or treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) led to study discontinuation. Conclusion: Batoclimab is effective and safe in Chinese patients with gMG. Trial Registration: This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04346888) on 15 April 2020, with the first patient enrolled on 23 July 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the proposition that a major cause of the major financial accounting scandals that received much publicity around the world was unethical leadership in the companies and compares the role of unethical leaders in a variety of scenarios. Through the use of computer simulation models, it shows how a combination of CEO's narcissism, financial incentive, shareholders' expectations and subordinate silence as well as CEO's dishonesty can do much to explain some of the findings highlighted in recent high profile financial accounting scandals. Furthermore, it shows that the nature and impact of ethical leadership depends greatly on the institutional setting and can be expected to vary greatly by country and culture. In certain circumstances ethical leadership can have either a negligible or even opposite effect to that expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate social reporting, while not mandatory in most countries, has been adopted by many large companies around the world and there are now a variety of competing global standards for non-financial reporting, such as the Global Reporting Initiative and the UN Global Compact. However, while some companies (e.g., Henkel, BHP, Johnson and Johnson) have a long standing tradition in reporting non-financial information, other companies provide only limited information, or in some cases, no information at all. Previous studies have suggested that there are, country and industry-specific, differences in the extent of CSR reports (e.g., Kolk et al.: 2001, Business Strategy and the Environment 10, 15–28; Kolk: 2005, Management International Review 45, 145–166; Maignan and Ralston: 2002, Journal of International Business Studies 33(3), 497–514). However, findings are inconclusive or contradictory and it is often difficult to compare previous studies owing to the idiosyncratic methods used in each study (Graafland et al.: 2004, Journal of Business Ethics 53, 137–152). Furthermore, previous studies have relied mainly on simple measures, such as word counts and page counts of reports, to compare the extent of reporting that may not capture significant differences in the content of the reports. In this article, we seek to overcome some of these deficiencies by using textual analysis software and a more robust statistical method to more objectively and reliably compare the CSR reports of firms in different industries and countries. We examine a sample of leading companies in four countries (US, UK, Australia, and Germany) and test whether or not membership of the Global Compact makes a difference to CSR reporting and is overcoming industry and country specific factors that limit standardization. We conclude that GlobalCompact membership is having an effect only in certain areas of CSR reporting, related to the environment and workers, and that businesses from different countries vary significantly in the extent to which they promote CSR and the CSR issues that they choose to emphasize in their reports. These country differences are argued to be related to the different institutional arrangements in each country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Often one of the main problems faced in global teams is that one or more of the team members will need to use a foreign language. This can cause communication difficulties and hinder the performance of global teams. We discuss in this paper how research in linguistics can help further research on these difficulties in global teams, giving examples of different types of challenges and their implications. Linguistic analysis can enrich our theories about global team management and improve management practice of global teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optic disc (OD) and optic cup (OC) segmentation are important steps for automatic screening and diagnosing of optic nerve head abnormalities such as glaucoma. Many recent works formulated the OD and OC segmentation as a pixel classification task. However, it is hard for these methods to explicitly model the spatial relations between the labels in the output mask. Furthermore, the proportion of the background, OD and OC are unbalanced which also may result in a biased model as well as introduce more noise. To address these problems, we developed an approach that follows a coarse-to-fine segmentation process. We start with a U-Net to obtain a rough segmenting boundary and then crop the area around the boundary to form a boundary contour centered image. Second, inspired by sequence labeling tasks in natural language processing, we regard the OD and OC segmentation as a sequence labeling task and propose a novel fully convolutional network called SU-Net and combine it with the Viterbi algorithm to jointly decode the segmentation boundary. We also introduced a geometric parameter-based data augmentation method to generate more training samples in order to minimize the differences between training and test sets and reduce overfitting. Experimental results show that our method achieved state-of-the-art results on 2 datasets for both OD and OC segmentation and our method outperforms most of the ophthalmologists in terms of achieving agreement out of 6 ophthalmologists on the MESSIDOR dataset for both OD and OC segmentation. In terms of glaucoma screening, we achieved the best cup-to-disc ratio (CDR) error and area under the ROC curve (AUC) for glaucoma classification on the Drishti-GS dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study revolves around the distribution of surface CO concentrations around the industrial belts of the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) and in parts of Southeast Asia over a period of 10 years from January 2007 to December 2016. MERRA-2 reanalysis fields are analysed to study the long-term spatial and seasonal behaviour of CO. The focus is on three CO hotspot areas in this region, denoted by A, B and C, which are further subdivided into eight smaller divisions based on topographical and regional characteristics as discussed in details in "Study Region & Meteorology" section. The monthly average distribution of CO in all the eight zones ranges from 750 (C1) to 3781(A2) ppbv. Very high values are consistently observed in the Indo-Gangetic Plains as compared with other regions during the entire period of study. Seasonal variation of surface CO concentration indicates high values in the post-monsoon or winter season. Analysis of spatio-temporal variation alongside emission, chemical production and loss reveals that presence of surface CO is predominantly due to combustion of fossil fuels and burning of organic matters. Fire hotspot data from FIRMS also support these results. Statistical analysis performed using the non-linear regression model further elucidates the sources of CO in the hotspot areas. The coefficient of determination (R2) values between surface CO concentration (response variable) and emission, chemical production and loss (the independent process variables) for all the zones show interesting results. MERRA-2 does not consider any kind of convective transport as influx and outflux of the hypothetical control volume (box) and as such slightly overestimates the net CO concentration as compared with the ground-based measurements under steady-state scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how home-country political connections affect the internationalization of service firms. There are conflicting arguments in the literature on the effect of political connections on firms' internationalization with some researchers arguing that political connections have a facilitating effect while others argue that they have a constraining effect. In this paper, we argue that which effect dominates largely depends on the type of firm–because of the importance of being locally responsive to customers and heterogeneity among service firms, it is difficult to transfer and utilize the benefits of home-country political connections in international markets, as they are context-specific and home-country based. We also argue that, compared to content-oriented services, process-oriented service firms face less need for customer involvement and have a greater dependency on technical skills; therefore, the negative effect of home-country political connections will be weaker in process-oriented service firms. However, marketing capabilities possessed by the firm can help firms transfer and utilize the home-grown advantages in other countries, which can positively moderate the relationship between political connections and internationalization. We test our hypotheses using data on a sample of publicly listed service firms in China from 2012 to 2016 in a dynamic panel model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a list of editors and editorial board members who peer reviewed article submissions for the "Journal of Business Ethics" in 2018 including María América Alvarez Domínguez, Maria Elena Aramendia-Muneta, and Noman Ahmed Shaheer Siddiqui.

As software systems grow in size and complexity, the process of configuring them to meet individual needs becomes more and more challenging. Users, especially those that are new to a system, are faced with an ever increasing number of configuration possibilities, making the task of choosing the right one more and more daunting. However, users are rarely alone in using a software system. Crowds of other users or the designers themselves can provide with examples and rules as to what constitutes a meaningful configuration. We introduce a technique for designing optimal interactive configuration elicitation dialogs, aimed at utilizing crowd and expert information to reduce the amount of manual configuration effort. A repository of existing user configurations supplies us with information about popular ways to complete an existing partial configuration. Designers augment this information with their own constraints. A Markov decision process (MDP) model is then created to encode configuration elicitation dialogs that maximize the automatic configuration decisions based on the crowd and the designers' information. A genetic algorithm is employed to solve the MDP when problem sizes prevent use of common exact techniques. In our evaluation with various configuration models we show that the technique is feasible, saves configuration effort and scales for real problem sizes of a few hundreds of features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to cope with the current economic situation and the trend of global manufacturing, Cloud Manufacturing Mode (CMM) is proposed as a new manufacturing model recently. Massive manufacturing capabilities and resources are provided as manufacturing services in CMM. How to select the appropriate services optimally to complete the manufacturing task is the Manufacturing Service Composition (MSC) problem, which is a key factor in the CMM. Since MSC problem is NP hard, solving large scale MSC problems using traditional methods may be highly unsatisfactory. To overcome this shortcoming, this paper investigates the MSC problem firstly. Then, a Self-Adaptive Bat Algorithm (SABA) is proposed to tackle the MSC problem. In SABA, three different behaviors based on a self-adaptive learning framework, two novel resetting mechanisms including Local and Global resetting are designed respectively to improve the exploration and exploitation abilities of the algorithm for various MSC problems. Finally, the performance of the different flying behaviors and resetting mechanisms of SABA are investigated. The statistical analyses of the experimental results show that the proposed algorithm significantly outperforms PSO, DE and GL25. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes RITMC, an asynchronous multichannel receiver-initiated MAC for low-power WSN. Through a comparison with already existing solutions, the RITMC tries to mitigate the message containment and the effect of Idle Listening through an initial recognition mechanism proposed by the A-MAC protocol, in addition to a multichannel mechanism and a more efficient diagnostic. In order to validate the proposed protocol, evaluations were made to the consumption of each node sensor, the network traffic for each link, the latency and the delivery rate of the network in a web application. The results show that the proposed RITMC minimizes energy consumption, besides improving communication and implementation when compared to the analyzed protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the question of how to determine the extent of a multinational corporation (MNC)’s corporate social responsibility for actions by its suppliers. Drawing on three theories of power and influence from the organization and management literature—resource-dependence theory, social exchange theory and social network theory, this paper presents a conceptual framework for analysing the extent of power and influence of an MNC in a global supply chain based on a consideration of (i) economic and non-economic exchanges and (ii) direct and indirect exchanges in the MNC’s industry network. The paper also shows how the legal concept of complicity can be incorporated by considering the knowledge links of the MNC to other organizations in the industry network. Finally, the paper demonstrates how the concepts can be integrated to construct a power assessment grid which can be used to assess the extent of responsibility of an MNC for the actions of its suppliers and other parties in the industry, as well as a map of power and knowledge relationships between organizations in the industry which can be used for further analyses using social network analysis techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To introduce a modified transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure, percutaneous transhepatic balloon-assisted TIPS (BA-TIPS), and to evaluate its feasibility and efficacy in patients with chronic totally occluded portal vein thrombosis (CTO-PVT) with symptomatic portal hypertension.Methods: Eighteen patients (12 men, six women; mean age 49 years [range, 34-68 years]) with CTO-PVT with symptomatic portal hypertension undergoing BA-TIPS between July 2011 and June 2014 were enrolled in this retrospective study. Rates of technical success, efficacy, and complications were evaluated, and pre- and post-procedure portosystemic gradients compared. Clinical follow-up and periodic assessment of TIPS for patency were performed.Results: BA-TIPS was successful in fourteen patients and converted to open portosystemic shunt placement in four. Mean portosystemic pressure gradient fell from 24.1 ± 2.3 mmHg to 12.1 ± 3.5 mmHg after BA-TIPS (P < 0.01). No procedure-related complications were observed. During a median follow up of 16 months (range, 3-41 months), there was one death from hepatocellular carcinoma, one death from severe heart disease, and shunt dysfunction 16 months after BA-TIPS in one patient. Shunt patency was maintained in the remaining patients without symptoms of recurrence.Conclusions: BA-TIPS is feasible, safe, and effective for CTO-PVT with symptomatic portal hypertension.Key Points: • Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt is an important treatment for portal vein thrombosis (PVT). • TIPS is challenging for patients with chronic totally occluded portal vein thrombosis (CTO-PVT). • The use of a balloon increased the technical success of portal puncture. • Balloon-assisted TIPS (BA-TIPS) is feasible, safe, and effective for CTO-PVT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of the curse of dimensionality is well known, and its general effects are well acknowledged. However, and perhaps due to this colloquial understanding, specific measurements on the curse of dimensionality and its effects are not as extensive. In continuous domains, the volume of the search space grows exponentially with dimensionality. Conversely, the number of function evaluations budgeted to explore this search space usually grows only linearly. The divergence of these growth rates has important effects on the parameters used in particle swarm optimization and differential evolution as dimensionality increases. New experiments focus on the effects of population size and key changes to the search characteristics of these popular metaheuristics when population size is less than the dimensionality of the search space. Results show how design guidelines developed for low-dimensional implementations can become unsuitable for high-dimensional search spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a list of editors who served as referees in 2013 for the journal's double-blind peer review process including Kristina Drumheller, Krista Fiolleau, and Pat Auger.

The article presents a list of editors and peer reviewers who review articles submitted to the journal, including the reviewers Susan Ainsworth, Elena Doldor, and Robert Katz.

The discovery of adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) has created many opportunities for the development of patient-specific cell-based replacement therapies. We have isolated multiple cell strains of ASCs from various anatomical sites (abdomen, arms/legs, breast, buttocks), indicating widespread distribution of ASCs throughout the body. Unfortunately, there exists a general lack of agreement in the literature as to their 'stem cell' characteristics. We find that telomerase activity and expression of its catalytic subunit in ASCs are both below the levels of detection, independent of age and culturing conditions. ASCs also undergo telomere attrition and eventually senesce, while maintaining a stable karyotype without the development of spontaneous tumor-associated abnormalities. Using a set of cell surface markers that have been promoted to identify ASCs, we find that they failed to distinguish ASCs from normal fibroblasts, as both are positive for CD29, CD73 and CD105 and negative for CD14, CD31 and CD45. All of the ASC isolates are multipotent, capable of differentiating into osteocytes, chondrocytes and adipocytes, while fibroblasts show no differentiation potential. Our ASC strains also show elevated expression of genes associated with pluripotent cells, Oct-4, SOX2 and NANOG, when compared to fibroblasts and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs), although the levels were lower than induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). Together, our data suggest that, while the cell surface profile of ASCs does not distinguish them from normal fibroblasts, their differentiation capacity and the expression of genes closely linked to pluripotency clearly define ASCs as multipotent stem cells, regardless of tissue isolation location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a list of Editors, Editorial Board members, and anonymous reviewers in the double-blind assessment process for the "Journal of Business Ethics," including Margaret Andersen of North Dakota State University, Fara Azmat of Deakin University, and Dennis Badeen of York University.

The article presents a list of editors and editorial board members who peer review articles submitted to the journal and their educational institutions, including Jarle Aarstad at Bergen University College, Rikki Abzug of Ramapo College of New Jersey, and Robert Albin of Sapir College.

The names of people who served as referees in this journal's review process for submitted articles during the year 2009 are listed and include Ali J. Abbas of the University of Pennsylvania, Ida Berger of Ryerson University, and Walter Block of Loyola University.

This paper reviews a number of huge challenges to ethical leadership in the twenty-first century and concludes that the need for global ethical leadership is not merely a desirable option, but rather - and quite literally - a matter of survival. The crises of the recent past reveal huge, and in some cases criminal, failures of both ethics and leadership in finance, business and government. We posit that mainstream economic theory's construct of ' homo economicus' and its faith in the 'invisible hand' of the market constitute deeply flawed foundations upon which alone policy may be built and, farthermore, that these problematic foundations exert substantial shaping power over the institutional and discursive landscapes in which international business is transacted. Analogously, we argue that dominant approaches to business ethics and corporate social responsibility are, if not incorrect, at least in need of revisiting in terms of questioning their basic assumptions. Instead of the smugness of Western (especially Anglo-American) attitudes towards other ways of thinking, valuing and organising, it appears clear that openness, cooperation and co-creation between the developed and developing worlds is a basic prerequisite for dealing with the global challenges facing not just leaders, but humanity as a whole. This objective of stimulating discussion between dominant and marginal voices has guided our selection of papers for this Special Issue. We have thus included not only representatives of research from within the parameters of mainstream business ethics, IB or leadership scholarship, but also innovative contributions from fields such as military history, information technology, regulation, spirituality and sociology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As demonstrated by the popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, Internet-based social networks have become an important part of daily life, and many businesses are now involved in such networks either as service providers or as participants. Furthermore, inter-organizational networks are becoming an increasingly common feature of many industries, not only on the Internet. However, despite the growing importance of networks for businesses, there is little theoretical study on the social responsibilities of businesses in such networks, and how these responsibilities are affected by different types of networks. This article explores how social network analysis, which has been developed from studies of social networks of individuals, can be used to shed light on corporate responsibilities in social networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue on network ethics offers 15 scholarly articles from a variety of disciplines and fields of study, all aimed at exploring some important aspect of how networks develop, enact, and enforce ethical norms. The articles are ordered according to the levels of analysis each deals with, ranging from the cognitive/intra- personal to the systemic/societal. Taken together, these articles provide a fresh look at how networks are changing the way business is done and the way we think about ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contextualises current debates over human rights and transnational corporations. More specifically, we begin by first providing the background to John Ruggie’s appointment as ‘Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises’. Second, we provide a brief discussion of the rise of transnational corporations, and of their growing importance in terms of global governance. Third, we introduce the notion of human rights, and note some difficulties associated therewith. Fourth, we refer to Ruggie’s scholarly work on ‘embedded liberalism’, the ‘global public domain’ and ‘social constructivism’. Following this, we refer to the other five papers contained in this Journal of Business Ethics special issue, ‘Spheres of Influence/Spheres of Responsibility: Multinational Corporations and Human Rights’, and consider some of the potential obstacles to Ruggie’s recent suggestion that a ‘new consensus’ has formed, or is forming, around his ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’ framework. We conclude by raising questions regarding the processes of consensus-building around, and the operationalisation of, Ruggie’s ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’ framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FAM-labeled oligo dT (FAMdT) was utilized as a means to gauge efficient transfection of small nucleic acids into mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) colonies. Using colonies grown overnight, transfection was restricted largely to the periphery of the colonies with only a 40% decrease in Oct-3/4 RNA transcript levels following cognate Oct-3/4, small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery. However, transfection of mESC 4 h after seeding gave greater than 90% cells being successfully transfected based on quantitative real-time PCR detection of ∼90% Oct-3/4 RNA transcript knockdown. This method provides an economical and efficient means by which to determine effective transfection conditions, and establish efficient siRNA knockdown of reportedly difficult to transfect cell lines such as mESC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An extensive body of literature in sociology and anthropology has shown that different societies have developed different structures for exchange of items such as goods, status and information. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how social exchange theory can help illuminate many of the underlying bases of different ethical perspectives in debates about social exchanges. Social exchange theory is applied to three common types of knowledge exchange -- R&D joint ventures, commercial intellectual property exchange and academic exchange. Two key factors that underlie different ethical perspectives are shown to be differences in structures for social exchange and differences in views of the alienability of knowledge from its originator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents abstracts of studies submitted for the Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology to be held on October 14 to 16, 1991. "The Effect of Raw Onions on the Pathophysiology of Acid Reflux," by Melvin Allen; "Malignant Aerodigestive Fistula: A Six Year Experience," by James Bredfeldt; "Endoscopic Band Ligation of Esophageal Varices: Early Experience With a New Technique," by Pamela Connors.