We provide the first comprehensive and robust evidence on the relationship between CSR disclosure quality and the costs of corporate bonds in China. We find that firms with high CSR disclosure quality are associated with lower costs of corporate bonds. Our findings are robust to endogeneity issues arising from reverse causality, omitted variable bias, and the interdependencies between price and non-price terms. The negative relationship between CSR disclosure quality and the costs of corporate bonds is stronger in weak corporate governance (...) firms and in firms located in regions with weak institutional environments. We also find that firms’ misconduct significantly mitigates the influence of CSR disclosure quality. In the additional analyses, we provide evidence that CSR disclosure can offer incremental information beyond the credit ratings. Regarding non-price terms, we conclude that firms with higher quality of CSR information are less likely to be subject to collateral terms, but they tend to include more restrictive covenants. Further analyses also show that compared with low-quality or mandatory CSR disclosure firms, bond investors perceive firms with CSR disclosures rated above “A” categories or voluntary CSR disclosure as less likely to cause asymmetric information problems and thus charge lower risk premiums. Overall, this study demonstrates that CSR disclosure quality is an important determinant that affects both price and non-price bond contract terms. (shrink)

Using data from China, where the identity of engagement auditors is disclosed, we find significant relationships between engagement auditors’ negative experiences and the costs of corporate bonds. Further tests differentiate field and review auditors’ experiences, and we find that both field and review auditors’ negative experiences are significantly related to higher costs of corporate bonds. In addition, we find that the above results are significant only when the engagement auditors are affiliated with non-Big10 audit firms. Using path analysis, we find (...) that credit rating is a possible channel through which information on engagement auditors’ negative experiences can transfer to bond investors. Regarding non-price terms, we conclude that engagement auditors with negative experiences are associated with smaller bond sizes, shorter bond maturities, a higher likelihood of requiring collateral, and more restrictive covenants. Further analyses also show that the effects of engagement auditors’ negative experiences on the costs of corporate bonds are less pronounced for well-governed firms. To show that our results obtained from China’s corporate bond market are relevant to loan markets, we replicate the above tests using a Chinese sample, and the results from the loan market are consistent with those from the corporate bond market. Overall, our empirical results suggest that investors are indeed concerned with engagement auditors’ negative experiences. (shrink)

Purpose: We aimed to find out the distributed functional connectome of white matter in patients with functional dyspepsia.Methods: 20 patients with FD and 24 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were included into the study. The functional connectome of white matter and graph theory were used to these participants. Two-sample t-test was used for the detection the abnormal graph properties in FD. Pearson correlation was used for the relationship between properties and the clinical and neuropshychological information.Results: Patients with FD and healthy (...) controls showed small-world properties in functional connectome of white matter. Compared with healthy controls, the FD group showed decreased global properties. Four pairs of fiber bundles that are connected to the frontal lobe, insula, and thalamus were affected in the FD group. Duration and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index positively correlated with the betweenness centrality of white matter regions of interest.Conclusion: FD patients turned to a non-optimized functional organization of WM brain network. Frontal lobe, insula, and thalamus were key regions in brain information exchange of FD. It provided some novel imaging evidences for the mechanism of FD. (shrink)

Brain structural covariance network can delineate the brain synchronized alterations in a long-range time period. It has been used in the research of cognition or neuropsychiatric disorders. Recently, causal analysis of structural covariance network, winner-take-all and cortex–subcortex covariance network, and modulation analysis of structural covariance network have expended the technology breadth of SCN. However, the lack of user-friendly software limited the further application of SCN for the research. In this work, we developed the graphical user interface toolkit of brain structural (...) covariance connectivity based on MATLAB platform. The software contained the analysis of SCN, CaSCN, MOD-SCN, and WTA-CSSCN. Also, the group comparison and result-showing modules were included in the software. Furthermore, a simple showing of demo dataset was presented in the work. We hope that the toolkit could help the researchers, especially clinical researchers, to do the brain covariance connectivity analysis in further work more easily. (shrink)

This study examines whether penalties issued to Chinese listed companies by securities regulators for violations of corporate law affect the cost of debt, and the moderating role of corporate social responsibility fulfillment on this relationship. Our sample consists of firms listed on Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2011 to 2017 and the data are collected from the announcements of China Securities Regulatory Commission. The findings are as follows: punishment announcements by regulatory authorities increase the cost of debt; and the (...) effect of punishment announcements on the cost of debt is partially offset by prior CSR performance. These findings are shown to be robust. The reputation insurance effect of CSR is more pronounced in state-owned enterprises and in an institutional environment with low marketization, a weak legal environment, and low information transparency. The findings support the reputation insurance hypothesis of CSR and employ the cost of debt as a governance mechanism. (shrink)

Autonomous learning capacity is a key competency that supports teachers’ professional development. In this study, a stratified sampling method was used to recruit 396 junior and senior high school mathematics teachers in T city, one of the provincial city in China. A questionnaire with high reliability and validity developed prior to the study by the researchers was employed to measure their autonomous learning capacity and differences across groups. Twelve teachers were then selected for interviews. The results showed satisfactory overall performance. (...) By subdimension, teachers’ performance was the best in the development of study plans, followed by evaluation of learning outcomes, while they needed improvement in learning habit formation and proficiency in using learning methods. Furthermore, the analysis of differences across groups indicated that for autonomous learning capacity, female teachers were significantly better than their male peers; junior high school teachers were better compared to those in senior high school; teachers aged 41–50 underperformed those aged 51 and above; teachers who work in rural areas and townships did not perform worse than urban teachers; and those with doctoral degrees did not demonstrate considerable advantage over others. There were no significant differences in the overall autonomous learning capacity across years of teaching and job title groups. However, in the subdimensions, those with 21–30 years of teaching experience had lower proficiency in using learning methods and evaluation of learning outcomes, and teachers with senior titles did not demonstrate expected advantages in learning habit formation. (shrink)

這部書論述的主題，是從歷史與思維活動兩個角度，對人的存在所牽涉的種種問題，進行探討。我們對本書主題的契入方式，是放在對人本身的兩個層次的瞭解之上。第一個層次是：由於人類是理性的動物，思考是隸屬於人性的 自然活動。我們是自然的思考者，我們也是歷史的思考者；第二層面則是：我們每天的生活中，牽涉到許多人和事，經由我們每天所接觸的人與事的累積而形成歷史，所以，歷史也是人性的自然。所以，人類是歷史與理性的動物 ，理性與歷史是人性中的兩個基本特點。這部書稿之所以訂名為《歷史與思考》，便是奠基於人性中這兩個基本特質之上。.

In this paper, I provide a framework for accounting for the self, based on a reconstruction of Galen Strawson’s “theory of SESMETs,” or the Pearl view, with Barry Dainton’s continuous consciousness thesis. I argue that the framework I provide adequately accounts for the self and is preferable to solely adopting either Strawson’s or Dainton’s theory. I call my reconstruction the “Necklace” view of the self.

本书对科技与政治交互作用空间的性质、结构及其张力进行了基本阐述,探讨科技政治空间价值张力的离合及有机统一的作用规律以及科技政治空间自由与干涉的权力张力及其作用规律等。.

ABSTRACT Academic dishonesty has remained high in Chinese college students. We examined Chinese college senior students’ everyday academic practices, especially academic dishonesty, considering the contextual changes inside and outside higher learning settings in China. Data were collected from 120 college seniors from four universities and were analyzed using a qualitative content-based exploratory approach in NVivo 10. Three themes were identified, including college seniors’ perceptions of academic dishonesty, contextual influences on academic dishonesty, and seniors’ personal attitudes about academic misconduct. Interview results (...) indicated that the contextual changes have reduced cheating both at the national level and at the college level; however, some contextual factors stubbornly remain unchanged, suggesting that the current, contextual climate on and beyond the Chinese college campuses should be restructured, not necessarily exclusively using top-down approaches. A theoretical model was provided to illustrate mechanisms associated with these students’ academic misconduct. Suggestions are discussed regarding future research and implications made for university personnel practice. (shrink)

本书分四个部分:第一部分以梁漱溟先生的思虑为个案样本,探讨法的一般理念问题;第二部分论及宪政、普通法和近代西方法律教育与法学研究;第三部分意在研索“罪孽理念与罪刑关系”;第四部分为通讯体论文。.

本书是关于新意识形态批评的论文集,本书要论述的意图是:以理论与社会生活的密切关系而言,中国文论家可以创造出自己的“本位话语”,其具体问题集中为两个,即文化转型中的当代中国的精神建构和建立文学理论的本位 话语。.

本书内容包括:孔子思想的主要特征、老子思想的文化地位、墨子思想的历史影响、孟子思想的历史影响、董仲舒在学术思想史上的地位、张衡在中国思想文化上的地位等内容。.

本书简要地介绍了《周易》的一些重要概念及其在二十一世纪的可能应用,指出以《周易》为代表的东方文明对人类社会在新世纪的可持续发展所可能做出的贡献。.

The Alexandra District Ambulance Service is the only volunteer-based ambulance service in Victoria, Australia. It provides an opportunity to reflect on the ethical issues surrounding the delivery of ambulance service by volunteers, and its impact on the community.

The subject of this work is the worldview of subculture and its complex interaction with the elements and structure of these groups. To do this, various types of subcultures are analyzed in detail in order to identify their unique ideological features and characteristics. The main purpose of the research is to find links between the worldview of subcultures and their structural elements, as well as to understand the impact of these links on socio-cultural processes. By analyzing these issues, the study (...) seeks to expand our understanding of subcultural dynamics and their place in the modern sociocultural context. The results of this work can be useful for further research in the field of anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, as well as for the development of practical strategies for managing and supporting subcultural communities. To achieve the goals of the study, an anthropological analysis of subcultures is used, which includes an analysis of synchronous and diachronic aspects of the subcultural worldview, as well as comparative analysis. The scientific novelty of this work is manifested in a deep and comprehensive analysis of the diversity of types of worldview representation in various subcultures and their impact on a wide range of socio-cultural processes. The analysis presented in the study reveals unique aspects of the subcultural worldview and its diverse manifestations, which not only contributes to a deeper understanding of the socio-cultural dynamics of modern society, but also expands our knowledge of the mechanisms of formation and functioning of subcultural communities. The conclusions of this work are important both for academic research in the field of anthropology and sociology, and for practical applications, for example, those aimed at effective management and support of subcultural groups in modern society, including the development of policies and programs that promote inclusivity, cultural diversity and socio-cultural harmony. (shrink)