A General Overview of the Field of Internal Social Responsibility within Sustainability

More and more companies and institutions claim day by day to be committed to sustainability, a multidisciplinary concept comprising social, environmental, and economic issues, as well as directly reflected in terms of people’s welfare, quality of life and security. As a result, sustainability appears as a concept closely linked to social responsibility – or to corporate social responsibility in case of organizations – and, consequently, as a very difficult concept to be concisely defined. In this sense, and even when sustainability involves both internal and external dimensions, most sustainable policies and actions have been – and still are – aimed at external target audiences. Meanwhile, evidence of the incorporation of sustainable and responsible principles into internal management in organizations are not so common, even when this same evidence also shows that most effective external actions are supported by the prior commitment of employees to responsibility and sustainability (just as in case of internal marketing or internal corporate social responsibility regarding their external counterparts). Similarly, the content of the contributions in the academic literature has been mostly devoted to the external aspects of corporate responsibility and sustainability and – although an increasing number – a few of them have focused on their internal dimensions, then suggesting that there is still much to be done. On the above, once approached the concepts of internal marketing and internal social responsibility, and based on the academic literature, this paper aims to analyse the relationship between corporate social responsibility and human resource management. Then, with an exploratory purpose, a first and general overview about the number of contributions published in the field is intended, as well as about the way in which academic literature discusses and analyses how sustainable principles are being adopted in human resource management in organizations. This way, using the publications included in the Google Scholar database as a reference, we can conclude a preliminary idea of how this topic has been contributing and can contribute in the near future (reinforced by the current relevance of the UN Sustainable Development Goals – and specifically the SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth –) to the achievement of successful sustainable practices, as a starting point for further research and developments

Internal Corporate Social Responsibility for Sustainability

[EN] The recent attention paid to internal corporate social responsibility (ICSR) observed in the academic literature has been paralleled by an increased focus thereof in management, to achieve the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A bibliometric examination of the literature on ICSR and a complementary content analysis with ATLAS.ti revealed that the topic was largely neglected until 2014 but has now reached a consolidation stage. The main contribution of this paper was to conceptualize ICSR within the current theoretical paradigm of sustainability. The obtained results demonstrate that sustainable management requires attention to internal practices such as employee well-being and engagement. We anticipate that very soon, organizations will be directly involved in the SDG agenda through ICSR.S

Homogeneous and supported copper complexes of cyclic and open-chain polynitrogenated ligands as catalysts of cyclopropanation reactions

CuI and CuII complexes of cyclic and open-chain polyaza compounds have been tested as catalysts in the benchmark cyclopropanation reaction of styrene with ethyl diazoacetate. In general, only small amounts of copper are needed to promote the reaction. The catalytic activity depends on the structure of the ligand, e.g. amine–amides are more efficient than polyamines, and on the oxidation state of copper, CuII being more active than CuI. Given that CuI is the active species, these changes of behavior must be related to the stabilities of the complexes. The nature of the counterion also has a noticeable influence on the catalytic activity, the role of which is discussed. XAS measurements suggest the formation of oligomeric species. Some of the chiral ligands lead to small enantiomeric excesses. Open-chain ligands can easily be supported on organic polymers and their complexes can be used as catalysts. Furthermore, cyclic and acyclic complexes can be supported on clays by cation exchange and the solids obtained tend to promote the reaction with a decrease in the trans/cis ratio.This work was made possible by the generous financial support of Berlin,1986.2 [16d] Appendix to the report on the Internationalthe C.I.C.Y.T. (Project MAT9621053) and the Generalitat Valenci-Workshop on Standards and Criteria in X-ray Absorptionana (GV-D-CN-092140296).Peer reviewe

Mediation Analysis of Waist Circumference in the Association of Gut Microbiota with Insulin Resistance in Children

Background: Persistent gut microbiota (GM) imbalance has been associated with metabolic disease development. This study evaluated the mediating role of waist circumference in the association between GM and insulin resistance (IR) in children. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 533 children aged between 6 and 12. The anthropometry, metabolic markers, and relative abundance (RA) of five intestinal bacterial species were measured. Path coefficients were estimated using path analysis to assess direct, indirect (mediated by waist circumference), and total effects on the association between GM and IR. Results: The results indicated a positive association mediated by waist circumference between the medium and high RA of S. aureus with homeostatic model assessments for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and for insulin resistance adiponectin-corrected (HOMA-AD). We found a negative association mediated by waist circumference between the low and medium RA of A. muciniphila and HOMA-IR and HOMA-AD. Finally, when we evaluated the joint effect of S. aureus, L. casei, and A. muciniphila, we found a waist circumference-mediated negative association with HOMA-IR and HOMA-AD. Conclusions: Waist circumference is a crucial mediator in the association between S. aureus and A. muciniphila RA and changes in HOMA-IR and HOMA-AD scores in children

Polymer-supported Al and Ti species as catalysts for Diels-Alder reactions

Several aminoalcohols and tartaric acid derivatives have been grafted to polystyrene resins. These polymers have been transformed into supported chiral Lewis acids by treatment with EtAlCl2 or, in the case of the diols derived from tartaric acid, with TiCl2(OPri)2 and Et2AlCl. All these solids, as well as the non-chiral ones prepared from simple hydromethyl resins, are efficient catalysts in the Diels-Alder reaction of cyclopentadiene and dienophiles like methacrolein or acryloyl and crotonyl-1,3-oxazolidin-3-ones. In some cases the supported catalysts are much more active that the homogeneous analogues. Some of the catalysts can be recovered and reused without metal leaching, keeping an important catalytic activity and without changes in selectivity. The enantioselectivities obtained are minor than 20% ee, being lower than the ones attained with the homogeneous analogues, which shows that the polymer does not behave as a simple inert support.Peer reviewe

TADDOL-TiCl2 catalyzed Diels-Alder reactions: Unexpected influence of the substituents in the 2-position of the dioxolane ring on the stereoselectivity

Several α,α,α′,α′-tetra(3,5-dimethylphenyl)-1,3-dioxolane-4,5-dimethanols have been synthesized, and their TiCl2 derivatives used as catalysts in the reaction of cyclopentadiene with (E)-2-butenoyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-one. The substituents in the 2-position of the dioxolane ring exert a decisive influence on the extent and direction of the asymmetric induction and, consequently any possible enantiomer of the cycloadducts can be preferentially obtained by changing these substituents. Molecular mechanics calculations of the structures and relative energies of the possible dienophile-catalyst complexes offer a tentative explanation for the results described.This work was made possible by the generous financial support of the Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (Project MAT96-1053).Peer reviewe

Conducta no saludable asociada con el desarrollo de presión arterial elevada en adolescentes

El artículo tiene como objetivo evaluar la asociación entre el patrón de conducta no saludable sobre la prevalencia y la incidencia de la presión arterial elevada en adolescentes. A partir de la información de un estudio de cohorte con una población en la medición basal de 2.813 adolescentes del sistema de educación pública, se determinó la prevalencia (basal) e incidencia de la presión arterial elevada, junto con el consumo de tabaco, alcohol, drogas ilegales y las variables de actividad física. Con estas variables, se construyó un modelo llamado "patrón de conducta no saludable" y se evaluó su relación con la presión arterial elevada en los adolescentes, utilizando modelos de regresión logística múltiple. Entre los resultados, se observa que la prevalencia de la presión arterial elevada fue 8,67%. La incidencia acumulada de la presión arterial elevada fue 7,58%. En el análisis múltiple de la prevalencia de presión arterial elevada, ajustado por grado de adiposidad, hubo asociación con un alto patrón de conducta no saludable en el grupo de los hombres (OR = 3,13; IC95%: 1,67-5,84). La asociación de la incidencia de la presión arterial elevada y alto patrón de conducta no saludable se observa en el grupo de las mujeres, (OR = 2,34; IC95%: 1,11-4,95). Se concluye que la presión arterial elevada está presente en la población adolescente, asociado a conductas no saludables en ellos, como el tabaquismo, el alcohol, las drogas ilegales y la escasa actividad física, independientemente del grado de adiposidad

Interaction between <i>Akkermansia muciniphila</i> and Diet Is Associated with Proinflammatory Index in School-Aged Children

Background: Imbalance in the intestinal microbiota can lead to chronic low-grade inflammation. Diet may influence this association. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the interaction between Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila) and dietary patterns using a proinflammatory index. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with school-aged children. We quantified the relative abundance (RA) of A. muciniphila in feces using a polymerase chain reaction. We collected dietary information through employing a food frequency questionnaire and generated dietary patterns using principal component analysis. We generated a proinflammatory index from serum levels of interleukin-6, interleukin-10, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and adiponectin validated by receptor operating characteristic curves. We evaluated the association between A. muciniphila and the proinflammatory index using logistic regression, including an interaction term with dietary patterns. Results: We found that children with a low RA of A. muciniphila and a high intake of simple carbohydrates and saturated fats had increased odds of being high on the proinflammatory index. However, when the consumption of this dietary pattern is low, children with a low RA of A. muciniphila had decreased odds of being high on the proinflammatory index. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the simultaneous presence of A. muciniphila and diet have a more significant impact on the presence of being high on the proinflammatory index compared to both factors separately

Alterations of the Gut Microbiome Associated to Methane Metabolism in Mexican Children with Obesity

Gut microbiota is associated with the development of metabolic disorders. To study its association with childhood obesity, we performed a cross-sectional study with 46 children (6&ndash;12 years old). We collected fecal samples, food-frequency questionnaires (FFQs), and anthropometric measurements. Shotgun metagenomics were used to obtain the microbial taxonomic diversity and metabolic potential. We identified two dietary profiles characterized by complex carbohydrates and proteins (pattern 1) and saturated fat and simple carbohydrates (pattern 2). We classified each participant into normal weight (NW) or overweight and obese (OWOB) using their body mass index (BMI) z-score. The ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes and alpha diversity were not different between the BMI groups. Genera contributing to beta diversity between NW and OWOB groups included Bacteroides rodentium, B. intestinalis, B. eggerthii, Methanobrevibacter smithii, Eubacterium sp., and Roseburia sp. B. rodentium was associated with lower BMI and dietary pattern 1 intake. Eubacterium sp. and Roseburia sp. were associated with BMI increments and high consumption of dietary pattern 2. Methane and energy metabolism were found enriched in under-represented KEGG pathways of NW group compared to OWOB. Complex dietary and microbiome interaction leads to metabolic differences during childhood, which should be elucidated to prevent metabolic diseases in adolescence and adulthood

ADIPOQ and ADIPOR2 gene polymorphisms: association with overweight/obesity in Mexican children

Background: ENSANUT 2012 showed a combined prevalence of overweight and obesity of 34.4% in Mexican children. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the ADIPOQ and ADIPOR2 genes have been reported in many populations, but their association with obesity has not been confirmed in other studies. Our aim was to determine the association of SNPs from ADIPOQ and ADIPOR2 genes with obesity in Mexican children. Methods: A total of 2,634 children from 6 to 12 years old were enrolled in the study from four IMSS Units in Mexico City. We selected 1,469 unrelated children (745 normal weight and 724 overweight/obese). Phenotype characterization included anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, biochemical parameters, insulin concentrations and presence of acanthosis nigricans (AN). Analysis of the SNPs rs182052, rs266729, rs2241766, rs822393 of ADIPOQ and rs11061971 of ADIPOR2 was carried out in the DNA samples. Results: The study showed significant differences (p <0.05) between groups in waist circumference, blood pressure, presence of AN, insulin concentrations, HOMA-IR, fasting glucose and lipid parameters, being higher in obese children. No associations in ADIPOQ variants with the presence of overweight/obesity were found. The presence of the variant rs11061971 of ADIPOR2 in children had a significant association with protection of overweight/obesity (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.68-0.93, p = 0.003). Also, the log-additive model confirmed the association by codominant and dominant models (p <0.05). Conclusions: The presence of rs11061971 of ADIPOR2 variant confers protection against obesity and could be used as a marker in Mexican children