INVESTIGATING THE DETERMINANTS AND ENDOGENOUS INFLUENCES OF ENVIRONMENTAL REPUTATION

AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF Young Soo Shim, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Accountancy, presented on 03/10/2017, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: INVESTIGATING THE DETERMINANTS AND ENDOGENOUS INFLUENES OF ENVIRONMENTAL REPUTATION MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Royce D. Burnett This study investigates (1) the determinants of a firm’s environmental reputation and (2) the impact of this reputation on employee productivity and financial performance. I extend existing work in this area by focusing on both the endogenous and exogenous benefits of the reputation. The endogenous benefits refer to positive impacts of the reputation on employee morale and employee productivity, which have generally been ignored by prior research. In developing my research hypotheses, I draw on the following five well-established theories: the costly signaling theory, the resource-based view of firm, the Porter’s eco-efficiency perspective, the social identity theory, and the third-person effect theory. A sample of 271 companies was drawn from the 500 largest U.S. public companies listed in the 2010 Newsweek’s green report. The corporate environmental data for this study were gathered from this report. Meanwhile, the corporate financial data were obtained from the Mergent database. Via multiple regression analyses, I find (1) environmental reputation is significantly and positively predicted by environmental management when firm environmental reputation is high; (2) environmental reputation is significantly and positively related to environmental performance when firm environmental reputation is low; (3) across the board, environmental reputation does not predict employee productivity; (4) environmental reputation is a significant and positive predictor of financial performance only for firms with high environmental reputation; and (5) employee productivity positively and significantly predicts financial performance only for firms with a high environmental reputation

Two Dimensions of Family Risk in East Asia: Variations and Contextualization

This paper investigates family risks from the perspective of risk society. Conceptual distinction is made between the first modern and the second modern type of family risk as well as between its objective and subjective dimensions. The major finding in terms of variation of family risks is that the second-modern type of risks is more conspicuous than the first-modern one in Seoul and Tokyo whereas the reverse is the case in Beijing. Yet these two types of risk coexist in all three cities. The contextualized relationship between the objective and subjective dimensions shows the tendency that the risk perception moves up or down in a way reflecting the official statistics of family risks. We argue that this pattern of contextualization can be explained by social construction of risks

Ginseng Purified Dry Extract, BST204, Improved Cancer Chemotherapy-Related Fatigue and Toxicity in Mice

Cancer related fatigue (CRF) is one of the most common side effects of cancer and its treatments. A large proportion of cancer patients experience cancer-related physical and central fatigue so new strategies are needed for treatment and improved survival of these patients. BST204 was prepared by incubating crude ginseng extract with ginsenoside-β-glucosidase. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of BST204, mixture of ginsenosides on 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced CRF, the glycogen synthesis, and biochemical parameters in mice. The mice were randomly divided into the following groups: the naïve normal (normal), the HT-29 cell inoculated (xenograft), xenograft and 5-FU treated (control), xenograft + 5-FU + BST204-treated (100 and 200 mg/kg) (BST204), and xenograft + 5-FU + modafinil (13 mg/kg) treated group (modafinil). Running wheel activity and forced swimming test were used for evaluation of CRF. Muscle glycogen, serum inflammatory cytokines, aspartic aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatinine (CRE), white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil (NEUT), red blood cell (RBC), and hemoglobin (HGB) were measured. Treatment with BST204 significantly increased the running wheel activity and forced swimming time compared to the control group. Consistent with the behavioral data, BST204 markedly increased muscle glycogen activity and concentrations of WBC, NEUT, RBC, and HGB. Also, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), AST, ALT, and CRE levels in the serum were significantly reduced in the BST204-treated group compared to the control group. This result suggests that BST204 may improve chemotherapy-related fatigue and adverse toxic side effects

Quasi-Eigenstate Evolution in Open Chaotic Billiards

We experimentally studied evolution of quasi-eigenmodes as classical dynamics undergoing a transition from being regular to chaotic in open quantum billiards. In a deformation-variable microcavity we traced all high-Q cavity modes in a wide range of frequency as the cavity deformation increased. By employing an internal parameter we were able to obtain a mode-dynamics diagram at a given deformation, showing avoided crossings between different mode groups, and could directly observe the coupling strengths induced by ray chaos among encountering modes. We also show that the observed mode-dynamics diagrams reflect the underlying classical ray dynamics in the phase space.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Calcific Myonecrosis of the Antetibial Area

Calcific myonecrosis is a rare late post-traumatic condition, in which a single muscle is replaced by a fusiform mass with central liquefaction and peripheral calcification. Compartment syndrome is suggested to be the underlying cause. The resulting mass may expand with time due to recurrent intralesional hemorrhage into the chronic calcified mass. A diagnosis may be difficult due to the long time between the original trauma and the symptoms of calcific myonecrosis. We encountered a 53-year-old male patient diagnosed with calcific myonecrosis in the lower leg. We report the case with a review of the relevant literature

Clinical Characteristics and Risk Factors for Nosocomial Candidemia in Medical Intensive Care Units: Experience in a Single Hospital in Korea for 6.6 Years

The aim of this study was to determine candidemia incidence among patients in a medical intensive-care unit (MICU) and the associated mortality rate and to identify risk factors associated with candidemia. We retrospectively performed a 1:3 matched case-control study of MICU patients with candidemia. Controls were matched for sex, age, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score. Candidemia incidence was 9.1 per 1,000 admissions. The most common pathogen was Candida albicans. Crude mortality was 96% among candidemia patients and 52% among controls (P<0.001). Mortality differed significantly between the groups according to Kaplan-Meier survival analysis (P=0.024). Multivariate analysis identified the following independent risk factors for candidemia: central venous catheterization (odds ratio [OR] = 3.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.2-9.0), previous steroid therapy (OR=4.7, 95% CI=1.8-12.1), blood transfusion during the same admission period (OR=6.3, 95% CI=2.4-16.7), and hepatic failure upon MICU admission (OR=6.9, 95% CI=1.7-28.4). In conclusion, we identify an additional independent risk factor for candidemia, the presence of hepatic failure on MICU admission. Therefore, increased awareness of risk factors, including hepatic failure, is necessary for the management of candidemia

Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Shungite against Ultraviolet B Irradiation-Induced Skin Damage in Hairless Mice

As fullerene-based compound applications have been rapidly increasing in the health industry, the need of biomedical research is urgently in demand. While shungite is regarded as a natural source of fullerene, it remains poorly documented. Here, we explored the in vivo effects of shungite against ultraviolet B- (UVB-) induced skin damage by investigating the physiological skin parameters, immune-redox profiling, and oxidative stress molecular signaling. Toward this, mice were UVB-irradiated with 0.75 mW/cm2 for two consecutive days. Consecutively, shungite was topically applied on the dorsal side of the mice for 7 days. First, we found significant improvements in the skin parameters of the shungite-treated groups revealed by the reduction in roughness, pigmentation, and wrinkle measurement. Second, the immunokine profiling in mouse serum and skin lysates showed a reduction in the proinflammatory response in the shungite-treated groups. Accordingly, the redox profile of shungite-treated groups showed counterbalance of ROS/RNS and superoxide levels in serum and skin lysates. Last, we have confirmed the involvement of Nrf2- and MAPK-mediated oxidative stress pathways in the antioxidant mechanism of shungite. Collectively, the results clearly show that shungite has an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action against UVB-induced skin damage in hairless mice

Prognosis After Surgical Resection of M1a/M1b Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

This study was undertaken to examine prognosis after resection for M1 disease in squamous cell esophageal carcinoma. Fifty-six patients with M1 esophageal cancer underwent esophageal resection with two or three-field nodal dissection from 1994 to 2001. Operative mortality occurred in 3 patients. Primary tumor sites were as follows; 10 upper, 23 middle, and 20 lower thoracic esophagus. They were found to have M1 disease by pathologic examination of dissected nodes, 24 M1a and 29 M1b. Forty-two patients (79%) were considered to have undergone curative resection. Chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy was given to 38 patients perioperatively. Recurrence was identified in 35 patients (66%) during a mean follow-up of 23 months. Overall median and 5-yr survivals were 19 months and 12.7%. Five-year survivals for M1a and M1b disease were 23.9% and 6.1%, respectively (p=0.0488). Curative resection tended to show better survival (p=0.3846). Chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy provided no advantage (p=0.5370). Multivariate analysis showed that M1b was significant risk factor over M1a disease. Our conclusion is that surgical resection can provide acceptable survival in thoracic squamous esophageal cancer with M1a disease. Survival differences between M1a and M1b disease support the current subclassification staging system

An Adult Case of Internal Mammary Arterio-Venous Fistula

A left internal mammary artery to vein fistula was found incidentally in a 32-year-old woman with a continuous murmur. There was no significant history of trauma and no cardiac symptoms. A percutaneous embolization with vascular plug and coil was performed