Global drivers for ESG performance: the body of knowledge

Progress on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues is vastly different depending where in the world you look. However, the literature on what drives ESG performance is highly fragmented and current theories fail to offer useful insights into the disparity in ESG performance. Hence, this study draws upon an accumulated body of knowledge of ESG-related literature and explores the major drivers of ESG performance. By applying a scientific and replicable methodology of systematic literature review, this article reveals the fundamental debate underpinning ESG responsibility, the breath of pertinent stakeholders, the theories necessary to understand ESG management and the conditions which will best achieve ESG progress. The major themes help inform the most effective choice of mechanisms to improve ESG outcomes. However, there are also significant themes not yet fully developed in the literature. Future research is urgently needed on the impact of economic development, regulatory environment and responsible investing on ESG outcomes. These research trajectories hold important implications for investment management, corporate strategy and government policies affecting global ESG performance

Effect of Crystallinity on Water Vapor Sorption, Diffusion, and Permeation of PLA-Based Nanocomposites

The effects of crystalline morphology and presence of nanoparticles such as cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), organically modified nanoclay (C30B), or a combination of both on water vapor sorption and diffusion in polylactide (PLA) were evaluated by a quartz spring microbalance (QSM). It was found that the large spherulite size induced by high-temperature processing leads to an increase in water sorption and a substantial reduction of diffusion with increasing crystallinity. Contrarily, small-sized spherulites, arising after low-temperature processing during solvent-casting, showed a different behavior with a slight decrease in both water vapor sorption and diffusion with increasing crystallinity. These observations suggest that solvent-casting at low temperatures should not be used to predict the properties a material will show after industrial-scale processing. From the analysis of the nanocomposite materials, it was concluded that nanoparticles affected the material′s properties not only by themselves but also by modifying the crystalline morphology. Interestingly, this led to CNF showing similar performance to C30B, decreasing water diffusivity (21 vs 27%) on isothermally crystallized materials despite its less favorable geometry. Additionally, the incorporation of 1 wt % CNF and C30B decreased water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) by 24% under an amorphous state but by 44% in a crystallized state, which makes hybrid CNF/C30B composites a promising food packaging material

Chemically extracted nanocellulose from sisal fibres by a simple and industrially relevant process

International audienceA novel type of acetylated cellulose nanofibre (CNF) was extracted successfully from sisal fibres using chemical methods. Initially, a strong alkali treatment was used to swell the fibres, followed by a bleaching step to remove the residual lignin and finally an acetylation step to reduce the impact of the intermolecular hydrogen bonds in the nanocellulose. The result of this sequence of up-scalable chemical treatments was a pulp consisting mainly of micro-sized fibres, which allowed simpler handling through filtration and purification steps and permitted the isolation of an intermediate product with a high solids content. An aqueous dispersion of CNF could be obtained directly from this intermediate pulp by simple magnetic stirring. As a proof of concept, the dispersion was used directly for preparing a highly translucent CNF film, illustrating that there are no large aggregates in the prepared CNF dispersion. Finally, CNF films with alkali extracts were also prepared, resulting in flatter films with an increased mass yield and improved mechanical strength

High-dose epirubicin is not an alternative to standard-dose doxorubicin in the treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcomas. A study of the EORTC soft tissue and bone sarcoma group.

The activity and toxicity of single-agent standard-dose doxorubicin were compared with that of two schedules of high-dose epirubicin. A total of 334 chemonaive patients with histologically confirmed advanced soft-tissue sarcomas received (A) doxorubicin 75 mg m(-2) on day 1 (112 patients), (B) epirubicin 150 mg m(-2) on day 1 (111 patients) or (C) epirubicin 50 mg m(-2) day(-1) on days 1, 2 and 3 (111 patients); all given as bolus injection at 3-week intervals. A median of four treatment cycles was given. Median age was 52 years (19-70 years) and performance score 1 (0-2). Of 314 evaluable patients, 45 (14%) had an objective tumour response (eight complete response, 35 partial response). There were no differences among the three groups. Median time to progression for groups A, B and C was 16, 14 and 12 weeks, and median survival 45, 47 and 45 weeks respectively. Neither progression-free (P = 0.93) nor overall survival (P = 0.89) differed among the three groups. After the first cycle of therapy, two patients died of infection and one owing to cardiovascular disease, all on epirubicin. Both dose schedules of epirubicin were more myelotoxic than doxorubicin. Cardiotoxicity (> or = grade 3) occurred in 1%, 0% and 2% respectively. Regardless of the schedule, high-dose epirubicin is not a preferred alternative to standard-dose doxorubicin in the treatment of patients with advanced soft-tissue sarcomas

Randomized Phase Iii Study Comparing Paclitaxel-bleomycin, Etoposide, And Cisplatin (bep) To Standard Bep In Intermediate-prognosis Germ-cell Cancer: Intergroup Study Eortc 30983

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of four cycles of paclitaxel-bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (T-BEP) to four cycles of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) in previously untreated patients with intermediate-prognosis germ-cell cancer (GCC). Patients and Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to receive either T-BEP or standard BEP. Patients assigned to the T-BEP group received paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2) in a 3-hour infusion. Patients who were administered T-BEP received primary granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) prophylaxis. The study was designed as a randomized open-label phase II/III study. To show a 10% improvement in 3-year progression-free survival (PFS), the study aimed to recruit 498 patients but closed with 337 patients as a result of slow accrual. Results: Accrual was from November 1998 to April 2009. A total of 169 patients were administered BEP, and 168 patients were administered T-BEP. Thirteen patients in both arms were ineligible, mainly as a result of a good prognosis of GCC (eight patients administered BEP; six patients administered T-BEP) or a poor prognosis of GCC (one patient administered BEP; four patients administered T-BEP). PFS at 3 years (intent to treat) was 79.4% in the T-BEP group versus 71.1% in the BEP group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.73; CI, 0.47 to 1.13; P [log-rank test] = 0.153). PFS at 3 years in all eligible patients was 82.7% versus 70.1%, respectively (HR, 0.60; CI: 0.37 to 0.97) and was statistically significant (P = 0.03). Overall survival was not statistically different. Conclusion: T-BEP administered with G-CSF seems to be a safe and effective treatment regimen for patients with intermediate-prognosis GCC. However, the study recruited a smaller-than-planned number of patients and included 7.7% ineligible patients. The primary analysis of the trial could not demonstrate statistical superiority of T-BEP for PFS. When ineligible patients were excluded, the analysis of all eligible patients demonstrated a 12% superior 3-year PFS with T-BEP, which was statistically significant. J Clin Oncol 30: 792-799. (C) 2012 by American Society of Clinical Oncolog

Author Correction to: The VAR2CSA malaria protein efficiently retrieves circulating tumor cells in an EpCAM-independent manner (Nature Communications, (2018), 9, 1, (3279), 10.1038/s41467-018-05793-2)

This Article contained an error in the consent of some of the patients used in Figure 4. Following an institute-led investigation within BARTS Cancer Institute post-publication, no documentation of informed consent from the nine lung cancer patients whose blood samples were used in this research project could be recovered and therefore, this data have been removed from the published article.The patients and their families were informed of the original error and apologies were made.The following changes have been made to the paper to remove all mention of the lung cancer samples and the data associated with them.In the abstract, the sentence ‘We show that rVAR2 efficiently captures CTCs from hepatic, lung, pancreatic, and prostate carcinomapatients with minimal contamination of peripheral blood mononuclear cells.’ has been changed to read ‘We show that rVAR2 efficiently captures CTCs from hepatic, pancreatic, and prostate carcinoma patients with minimal contamination of peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Pharmacokinetics of Teriparatide (rhPTH[1–34]) and Calcium Pharmacodynamics in Postmenopausal Women with Osteoporosis

Teriparatide (rhPTH[1–34]) affects calcium metabolism in a pattern consistent with the known actions of endogenous parathyroid hormone (PTH). This report describes the pharmacokinetics and resulting serum calcium response to teriparatide in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Pharmacokinetic samples for this analysis were obtained from 360 women who participated in the Fracture Prevention Trial. Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis received daily subcutaneous injections of either teriparatide 20 μg (4.86 μmol) or placebo, median 21 months’ treatment. Serum teriparatide and calcium concentrations were measured throughout the study. An indirect-response model was developed to describe the pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic relationship between teriparatide concentrations and serum calcium response. The pharmacokinetics of teriparatide were characterized by rapid absorption (maximum concentration achieved within 30 min) and rapid elimination (half-life of 1 h), resulting in a total duration of exposure to the peptide of approximately 4 h. Teriparatide transiently increased serum calcium, with the maximum effect observed at approximately 4.25 h (median increase 0.4 mg/dl [0.1 mmol/l]). Calcium concentrations returned to predose levels by 16–24 h after each dose. Persistent hypercalcemia was not observed; one teriparatide 20 μg-treated patient had a predose serum calcium value above the normal range but <11.0 mg/dl (2.75 mmol/l). Following once-daily subcutaneous administration, teriparatide produces a modest but transient increase in serum calcium, consistent with the known effects of endogenous PTH on mineral metabolism. The excursion in serum calcium is brief, due to the short length of time that teriparatide concentrations are elevated