Bridging the great divide? Making sense of the human rights-CSR relationship in UK multinational companies

Human rights (HR) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are both fields of knowledge and research that have been shaped by, and examine, the role of multi-national enterprises in society. Whilst scholars have highlighted the overlapping nature of CSR and HR, our understanding of this relationship within business practice remains vague and under-researched. To explore the interface between CSR and HR, this paper presents empirical data from a qualitative study involving 22 international businesses based in the UK. Through an analysis based on sensemaking, the paper examines how and where CSR and HR overlap, contrast and shape one another, and the role that companies’ international operations has on this relationship. The findings reveal a complex and multi-layered relationship between the two, and concludes that in contrast to management theory, companies have bridged the ‘great divide’ in varying degrees most notably in their implementation strategies

Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4 Alpha Is a Key Factor Related to Depression and Physiological Homeostasis in the Mouse Brain

<div><p>Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common psychiatric disorder that involves marked disabilities in global functioning, anorexia, and severe medical comorbidities. MDD is associated with not only psychological and sociocultural problems, but also pervasive physical dysfunctions such as metabolic, neurobiological and immunological abnormalities. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying the interactions between these factors have yet to be determined in detail. The aim of the present study was to identify the molecular mechanisms responsible for the interactions between MDD and dysregulation of physiological homeostasis, including immunological function as well as lipid metabolism, coagulation, and hormonal activity in the brain. We generated depression-like behavior in mice using chronic mild stress (CMS) as a model of depression. We compared the gene expression profiles in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of CMS and control mice using microarrays. We subsequently categorized genes using two web-based bioinformatics applications: Ingenuity Pathway Analysis and The Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery. We then confirmed significant group-differences by analyzing mRNA and protein expression levels not only in the PFC, but also in the thalamus and hippocampus. These web tools revealed that hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (Hnf4a) may exert direct effects on various genes specifically associated with amine synthesis, such as genes involved in serotonin metabolism and related immunological functions. Moreover, these genes may influence lipid metabolism, coagulation, and hormonal activity. We also confirmed the significant effects of Hnf4a on both mRNA and protein expression levels in the brain. These results suggest that Hnf4a may have a critical influence on physiological homeostasis under depressive states, and may be associated with the mechanisms responsible for the interactions between MDD and the dysregulation of physiological homeostasis in humans.</p></div

TG, T-cho, H-cho, and cortisol levels in the serum.

<p>CMS group, chronic mild stress group; C group, control group; TG, triglyceride; T-cho, total cholesterol; H-cho, HDL-cholesterol; SD, standard deviation.</p><p>TG, T-cho, H-cho, and cortisol levels in the serum.</p

Enhanced expression of Hnf4a mRNA in the PFC, thalamus, and hippocampus of the CMS group.

<p>We performed qRT-PCR analysis on Hnf4a mRNA expressed in the (A) PFC (<i>n</i> = 10), (B) thalamus (<i>n</i> = 7), and (C) hippocampus (<i>n</i> = 7) of the CMS group. The mean concentration of mRNA from the brains of the C group was set at 100%, and relative mRNA levels in each part of the brain were expressed by the mean multiplicity of the CMS group. The results of the PFC were analyzed with the Mann–Whitney U test, and those of the thalamus and hippocampus were analyzed with Student’s <i>t</i>-test (*: <i>p</i><0.005, **: <i>p</i><0.05, n.s.: not significant).</p

Gene details and differences observed between the CMS and control groups with the IPA analysis.

<p>CMS, chronic mild stress; IPA, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis.</p><p>Gene details and differences observed between the CMS and control groups with the IPA analysis.</p

IPA analysis; direct networks among Hnf4a and other genes related to homeostasis and amine synthesis.

<p>Total mRNA was extracted from the PFC of the CMS and C groups and analyzed by microarray. A number of genes were selected from the genes differentially expressed in the PFC of the CMS groups, and transferred to DAVID web tool analysis. Hnf4a had an impact on these genes. They were categorized into genes related to lipid metabolism (blue), hormonal activity (green), coagulation (pink), immunological function (red), and amine synthesis (purple). The details of these genes including their log₂ ratios are shown in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0119021#pone.0119021.t003" target="_blank">Table 3</a>.</p

Classification and enrichment of CMS genes extracted from DAVID results.

<p>Classification and enrichment of CMS genes extracted from DAVID results.</p

Additional file 9: Figure S3. of In vitro characterization of neurite extension using induced pluripotent stem cells derived from lissencephaly patients with TUBA1A missense mutations

Differentiating pPBCAG-TUBA1A-IRES-AcGFP-transfected human NPCs. Measurements of AcGFP-positive neurites from each cell (μm: mean ± SEM, n = 50, one-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett’s test, **p < 0.01). Overexpression of mutant TUBA1A (p.N329S) interfered with neurite extension in the human NSCs (scale bar = 200 μm). (TIF 19759 kb