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Governance and regulation of the use of live animals in research and teaching is examined in Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, China, Japan and India. A comparison of the systems in different countries will enable the determination of best practice and fit-forpurpose regulation. The most comprehensive government regulation of animal welfare in institutions covers a broad range of animals and institutions are required to have an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, whose membership is specified in guidelines or regulations. The work of the Committees is rigorously overseen by government and facilities that use live animals are audited externally. All countries examined have legislation governing the use of live animals in research, although only Australia and Malaysia have a fully equivalent mandated oversight of teaching. Teaching that uses live animals is partly covered in the Philippines, Japan, Singapore and Thailand This paper thus aims to review the regulation of animal use in different Asian jurisdictions in order to determine best practices that are appropriate to those settings. The most comprehensive oversight is provided in Australia and Malaysia that essentially use the same regulatory framework.

The calibration of test materials generally involves the interaction between empirical analysis and expert judgement. This paper explores the extent to which scale familiarity might affect expert judgement as a component of test validation in the calibration process. It forms part of a larger study that investigates the alignment of the LanguageCert suite of tests, Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), the China Standards of English (CSE) and China's College English Test (CET). In the larger study, Year 1 students at a prestigious university in China were administered two tests--one with items based on China's College English Test (CET), and the other a CEFR-aligned test developed by LanguageCert--the LanguageCert Test of English (LTE). Comparable sections of the CET and the LTE involved sets of discrete items targeting lexico-grammatical competence. In order to ascertain whether expert judges were equally comfortable placing test items on either scale (CET or CEFR), a group of professors from the university in China who set the CET-based test, were asked to expert judge the CET items against the nine CSE levels with which they were very familiar. They were then asked to judge the LTE items against the six CEFR levels, with which they were less familiar. Both sets of expert ratings and the test taker responses on both tests were then calibrated within a single frame of reference and located on the LanguageCert scale. In the analysis of the expert ratings, the CSE-familiar raters exhibited higher levels of agreement with the empirically-derived score levels for the CET items than they did with the equivalent LTE items. This supports the proposition that expert judgement may be used in the calibration process where the experts in question have a strong knowledge of both the test material and the standards against which the test material is to be judged.

Context: International comparative research on Vocational Education and Training (VET) is gaining importance, as global cooperation and mutual learning in VET grows. However, it is characterized by a high degree of complexity, due on one hand, to the heterogeneity of the VET sector, and on the other hand to the unique challenges of international comparisons. In addition, comparative research projects are increasingly conducted in the form of cross-border collaborations, which have their own particular organizational and methodological considerations, opportunities, and challenges. This paper presents an example of a cooperative research process, aimed at investigating the complex phenomenon of the competence-based approach in Russian and Chinese VET. In providing an example of developing an instrument for curriculum analysis and comparison, we discuss and reflect on the methodological and organizational peculiarities and challenges of the research process conducted collaboratively by an international team. Method: The instrument for analysis and comparison of curricular documents, was developed in an iterative multi-stage process, combining deductive and inductive steps. The embeddedness of the elements of a competence-based approach in curricular documents is investigated, using qualitative content analysis. To develop a coding frame, we started with a comprehensive partially systematic literature review of international, Russian and Chinese discourses on competence-based curricula. The frame was built on the selected model of competence-based education, and on accumulated results of the literature analysis of national discourses. Furthermore, during the first coding process, an iterative adaptation of the developed instrument took place. Results: The result of this process was the development of an analysis instrument which, on the one hand, is well-adapted to each national context and, on the other hand, allows a comparison of results along the same dimensions of analysis, in our case, elements of the competence-based approach in curriculum. Conclusion: Developing an analysis framework for a cross-cultural comparative investigation of such a diffuse and heterogeneous construct as the competence-based approach, can pose a methodological challenge for an international team of researchers. However, an effective application of own team resources such as proficiency in different languages, insider and outsider perspectives, along with continuous intensive communication and a flexible, iterative research process, allows development of a well-adapted analysis instrument for international comparison.

Professor Xiaoman Zhu is the theoretical initiator and the promoter of contemporary emotional education in China. Since the 1980s and 1990s, she has led the research on China's emotional education and has put forward many pioneering insights, forming a rich and systematic emotional education theory. She has been involved in guiding several experimental schools and research bases for a long time committed to the proper combination of emotional education theory and school education. She infiltrated it into moral education, teacher education, textbooks, courses, etc., and her theory has been widely recognized. This paper evaluates the source, theoretical basis, and practice of Xiaoman Zhu's emotional education as a whole, intending to construct a theoretical cognitive framework to describe Xiaoman Zhu's educational thought and theory in a more comprehensive manner.

Slogan has a sound mass base in China for thousands of years, functioning as guidelines for civic practice. Even today, Chinese slogans are often employed by the government to promote policies and socio-cultural values. This paper, adopting an ecolinguistic approach, explores the development of Chinese slogans during the four economic stages since the foundation of PRC (People's Republic of China) to find out how slogans influence the relationship between men, and man and the ecosystem. It is discovered that Chinese slogans in the recent decades have experienced great changes in terms of discourse type, the beneficial degree of discourse and the ecosophy they carry. They changed gradually from destructive discourse to harmonious discourse and they reflect the transition of Chinese ecological philosophy--from 'anthropocentrism', 'growthism', and 'classism' to 'harmonism'. It is hoped that this study can shed light on the eco-discourse analysis to policy language and will bring insight into its future creation.

Interpretive frameworks may be helpful to understand narratives, yet they also risk displacing unique information of the research context. In this paper, we argue that such is the case in narrative inquiry studies of English language teaching set in the Asian context, perhaps due to the pressure to use familiar interpretive frameworks that are sanctioned by scholars. Through meta-ethnography, we examined recent narrative inquiry studies set in Asia. It was observed that the research findings do not offer any critical insights about the context of the study; instead, they add to the prevalence of broad constructs of English language education, such as the components of identity. For future narrative inquiry research, we recommend researchers to consider utilizing local meanings pertinent to the study context as an analytical lens, as a means to Asianize the field.

Task-based language teaching on the purpose of enhancing students' communicative skills and involving them actively in the authentic context has long been highlighted in recent years in tertiary English language teaching. This paper proposes a framework of task-based teaching approach and language assessment in intensive reading class based on the researcher's own teaching practice to explore positive impacts on students' competences. This is done in the context of both oral presentation and written reports of first undergraduate English major students. The research method consists of semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire with 18 questions pointing to different aspects in the learning and teaching processes, aiming to explore what impacts it has on students' competence in both second language acquisition and at cognitive level. In this empirical study, all the findings indicate that TBLT applied in Chinese English teaching class is very effective and beneficial for the enhancement of Chinese English learners.

Based on the concept of user education, this paper discusses the necessity of user education in library under the circumstance of network, describes the contents and forms of user education and puts forward the problems that should be paid attention to during education. [This paper was supported by scientific research project of Qufu Normal University.]

This paper reviews the impact of the rewards and recognition scheme on curriculum reform in higher vocational education (HVE) in China. In this scheme, teachers and students can win rewards and obtain recognition through curriculum competitions and student skill competitions conducted by the government. It has been used to encourage and to support colleges and teachers to implement HVE curriculum reform. The qualitative research project into HVE curriculum reform reported here identified both the facilitative and inhibitory effects of the scheme on curriculum reform. Discipline heads' perspectives of these influences were investigated through in-depth interviews. The scheme was seen as motivating just a slight majority of discipline heads to implement curriculum reform and as providing financial support in doing so. The discipline heads, though, also indicated that they were discouraged by the scheme's misleading guidelines, its inappropriate evaluations of their efforts and its contribution to funding inequalities.

English teaching reform is critical for the cultivation of skilled talents and the development of national economy. The paper attempts to analyze the guidance principles of English teaching reform in the higher vocational colleges underlying "The Basic Requirements of English Curriculum Teaching in Higher Vocational Colleges", promulgated by Ministry of Education of China in 2000. Specifically, the principles should be characterized by modularization, individualization, collaboration, and hypertextualization.

This paper discusses the promotion of critical thinking through an interdisciplinary curriculum design using multidisciplinary faculty as well as details the implementation of an experiential short-term study abroad program in China. To achieve this educational goal of critical thinking, along with meeting the requirements specific to each course, the program was built on a framework using two interrelated approaches--theme-based interdisciplinary curriculum and cultural immersion. The theme-based interdisciplinary curriculum was constructed on three principles (the ability to pose great questions that encompassed drawing knowledge and skills from each discipline, acquiring global awareness, and developing glocal awareness). Cultural immersion was accomplished through carefully selected site visits, activities, and assignments. Students' experiences, reflections, and applications were assessed through formative and summative evaluation.

Intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs), which provide step-by-step guidance to students in problem-solving activities, have been shown to enhance student learning in a range of domains. However, they tend to be pre-established and cannot supply the tutoring function immediately from the diverse mathematical questions. The MITSAS (multiagent intelligent tutoring system after school) is a web-based ITS in algebra and geometry with a natural language interface which is designed to extract the hint and summarization from the detailed solving answer automatically. In this paper, its Design principles and functionality is analysed firstly. Then, the framework including the natural language understanding agent, automatic modelling agent and automatic problem-solving agent are discussed in the following in order to support the real-time problems solution. Next, the methods for automatically extracting tutoring function such as hint and summarization is given based on the difficulty of knowledge components and the type of problem acquired from the detailed answer. Finally, the effectiveness of MITSAS at improving the Chinese Students' learning gain is shown by an experiment conducted in junior school.

The surprising resilience of current communist states towards democratic opening and a mainstream neoliberal economic 'way-of-life' in the past did not hamper their economic performances and development perspectives as much as we would expect. In the countries that are one-party states, in which the institutions of the ruling party and the state have become intertwined, ostensibly arguing for political and economic equality, still maintaining a firm control over the economic resources, we could expect economic relationships that are au contraire modern economic trends. However, China for example, a supposedly communist economy, with its breathtaking socio-economic progress, elusively ignores mainstream economic vocation, progressively advancing towards establishing itself as a sacrosanct economic force. In that manner, the goal of this paper is to (1) evaluate the dynamics of relevant macroeconomic variables in three current communist states (China, Laos and Vietnam) in order to (2) expose possible deviations to modern capitalist trends as well as to (3) provide relevant information that can serve as a guideline for macro policies. For that purpose, we analyzed the relationship between the GDP, price, money and the exchange rate by using VAR modeling. Results revealed coherent macroeconomic dynamics with a causality that is in accordance to a common capitalist economic framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the research progress in recent years, "Chinese guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of acute ischemic stroke 2018" has greatly revised and supplemented the criteria for the diagnosis and treatment of acute ischemic stroke. Based on the new clinical research evidence published in the past four years, this paper interprets the revisions and supplements of the guidelines 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the popularization of robotic surgical systems in the field of surgery, robotic gastric cancer surgery has also been fully applied and promoted in China. The Chinese Guidelines for Robotic Gastric Cancer Surgery was published in the Chinese Journal of General Surgery in August 2021. Methods: We have made a detailed interpretation of the process of robotic gastric cancer surgery regarding the indications, contraindications, perioperative preparation, surgical steps, complication, and postoperative management based on the recommendations of China's Guidelines for Robotic Gastric Cancer Surgery and supplemented by other surgical guidelines, consensus, and single-center experience. Results: Twenty experiences of perioperative clinical management of robotic gastric cancer surgery were described in detail. Conclusion: We hope to bring some clinical reference values to the front-line clinicians in treating robotic gastric cancer surgery. Trial registration: The guidelines were registered on the International Practice Guideline Registration Platform (http://www.guidelines-registry.cn) (registration number: IPGRP-2020CN199). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In June 2016, in order to provide a standardized clinical reference for the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia, "Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia disorder in China" compiled by Chinese Sleep Research Society (CSRS) was published. The guideline was compiled according to the standards of evidence - based medicine and the latest International Classification of Sleep Disorders Third Edition (ICSD - 3). It emphasized the role of cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) in the treatment of insomnia, and enriched the assessment and interventions for special populations. This paper intends to provide an explanation and supplement to the compiling process and key elements of the guideline in details, in order to offer some help and guidance for clinicians for better understanding and application of the guideline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Over the last three decades, rapid industrialization in China has generated an unprecedentedly high level of air pollution and associated health problems. Given that China accounts for one-fifth of the world population and suffers from severe air pollution, a comprehensive review of the indicators accounting for the health costs in relation to air pollution will benefit evidence-based and health-related environmental policy-making. This paper reviews the conventional static and the new dynamic approach adopted for air pollution-related health cost accounting in China and analyzes the difference between the two in estimating GDP loss. The advantages of adopting the dynamic approach for health cost accounting in China, with conditions guaranteeing its optimal performance are highlighted. Guidelines on how one can identify an appropriate approach for health cost accounting in China are put forward. Further, we outline and compare the globally-applicable and China-specific indicators adopted by different accounting methodologies, with their pros and cons being discussed. A comprehensive account of the available databases and methodologies for health cost accounting in China are outlined. Future directions to guide health cost accounting in China are provided. Our work provides valuable insights into future health cost accounting research in China. Our study has strengthen the view that the dynamic approach is comparatively more preferred than the static approach for health cost accounting in China, if more data is available to train the dynamic models and improve the robustness of the parameters employed. In addition, future dynamic model should address the socio-economic impacts, including benefits or losses of air pollution polices, to provide a more robust policy picture. Our work has laid the key principles and guidelines for selecting proper econometric approaches and parameters. We have also identified a proper estimation method for the Value of Life in China, and proposed the integration of engineering approaches, such as the use of deep learning and big data analysis for health cost accounting at the fine-grained level (city-district or sub-regional level). Our work has also identified the gap for more accurate health cost accounting at the fine-grained level in China, which will subsequently affect the quality of health-related air pollution policy decision-making at such levels, and the health-related quality of life of the citizens in China. Highlights • The dynamic health cost accounting a preferred approach in China • Future dynamic model should address parameter robustness and socio-economic impacts. • Guidelines for selecting proper econometric approaches and parameters stated • Estimation methods for Values of Life in China and integration of methods proposed • Accurate health cost accounting at fine spatial resolutions needed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to assess the quality of global guidelines or consensus statements for newborn and childhood hearing screening, as well as to compare various guidelines between other countries and China.Methods: A PROSPERO registered systematic review (number CRD42021242198) was conducted. Multiple electronic databases and government websites including PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CENTRAL, Cochrane Library, and BMJ Best Practice were searched from inception until May 2021. The latest national and international guidelines, consensus statements, technical specifications, and recommendations regarding newborn or childhood hearing screening that were published in Chinese or English medical journals or elsewhere with the full version available online. The following information was extracted independently by two reviewers for comparative analysis: titles, authors, publication year, country, the source organization, and main key recommendations using systems for assigning the level of evidence and strength of recommendations. The quality of the guidelines was assessed by three independent reviewers using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation, 2nd edition. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to assess among-reviewer agreement.Results: We assessed 15 newborn and 6 childhood hearing screening guidelines, respectively. Most newborn guidelines recommend the 1-3-6 guidelines and pre-discharge screening; however, the specific screening times differ. 93.33% of newborn hearing guidelines recommend "primary screening-re-screening-diagnosis-intervention" for well-babies while 73.33% of the guidelines recommend "initial screening-diagnosis-intervention" for newborns in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU); 33.33% of the newborn hearing guidelines recommended initial screening coverage of > 95% while 46.66% did not mention it. Further, 26.66% of the newborn hearing guidelines recommended a referral rate to diagnosis within 4% while 60% did not mention it. Regarding childhood hearing screening guidelines, the screening populations differed across guidelines (age range: 0-9 years); most guidelines recommend pediatric hearing screening for all preschoolers. Only 50% of the guidelines specify screening and re-screening techniques, including pure-tone hearing screening, OAE, tympanometry, and others. The "Clarity of Presentation" domain achieved the highest mean score, and the lowest was "Editorial Independence" both in newborn and childhood guidelines. Overall score of newborn hearing screening guidelines ranged from 3 (2018 Europe) to 7 (2019 America), with an average score of 5.33. Average score of childhood hearing screening guidelines was 4.78, with the score ranging from 4 (2017 England, 2012 Europe, 2016 WHO) to 6.67 (2011 America). ICC analysis revealed excellent agreement across 21 guidelines (> 0.75).Conclusions: These findings indicated newborn hearing screening guidelines had superior quality over childhood ones. Comparative analysis suggested that recommendations of the Chinese newborn and pediatric hearing screening protocols are consistent with the mainstream international opinion. Moreover, this analysis demonstrated that "Editorial Independence" and "Stakeholder Involvement" have the greatest opportunities for improvement. These results may help to advance the quality of hearing screening guidelines in clinical practice and guide evidence-based updates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China promptly took the leading step to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, producing the first scientific guidelines assuming health above energy consumption and significantly changing HVAC/AHU operation. The research intended to fulfill the gap by measuring the impact of the guidelines on energy use intensity, CO2 emissions, and energy operation costs related to workplaces. The guidelines are long-term sector and industry trends following occupants' health and safety concerns, and today they are applied to nursing homes. The research extended the study to post-COVID-19 scenarios by crossing those settings with published reports on telework predictions. The methodology resorts to Building Energy Simulation software to assess the Chinese standard large office building on 8 climate zones and 17 subzones between pre- and post-COVID-19 scenarios under those guidelines. The outcomes suggest an upward trend in energy use intensity (11.70–12.46%), CO2 emissions (11.13–11.76%), and costs (9.37–9.89%) for buildings located in "warm/mixed" to "subarctic" climates, especially in colder regions with high heating demands. On the other hand, the figures for "very hot" to "hot/warm" climates lower the energy use intensity (14.76–15.47%), CO2 emissions (9%), and costs (9.64–9.77%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper reviews the present development of environmental emergency in China that involves legislative framework, regulations and technical support system. Through the analysis of actual case, these deficiencies and problems existing in action of environmental emergency are pointed out. In the countermeasures, the punishment and fine ceiling for environmental violations should be raised by revising clauses, and fees about handling, inspection, restoring and compensation for pollution incidents should be put into the law system, and environmental protection departments should be the leadership to improve emergency response efficiency, and the technical support system should be established to build a series of technical guidelines, norms and work manuals around three procedures that include prevention and monitoring before incident, response and handling in incident and assessment and restore after incident. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: CPGs are not uniformly successful in improving care and several instances of implementation failure have been reported. Performing a comprehensive assessment of the barriers and enablers is key to developing an informed implementation strategy. Our objective was to investigate determinants of guideline implementation and explore associations of self-reported adherence to guidelines with characteristics of participants in China.Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey, using multi-stage stratified typical sampling based on China's economic regional divisions (the East, the Middle, the West and the Northeast). 2-5 provinces were selected from each region. 2-3 cities were selected in each province, and secondary and tertiary hospitals from each city were included. We developed a questionnaire underpinned by recommended methods for the design and conduct of self-administered surveys and based on conceptual framework of guideline use, in-depth related literature analysis, guideline development manuals, related behavior change theory. Finally, multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression to produce adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).Results: The questionnaire consisted of four sections: knowledge of methodology for developing guidelines; barriers to accessing guideline; barriers to guideline implementation; and methods for improving guideline implementation. There were 1732 participants (87.3% response rate) from 51 hospitals. Of these, 77.2% reported to have used guidelines frequently or very frequently. The key barriers to guideline use were lack of education or training (46.2%), and overly simplistic wording or overly broad scope of recommendations (43.8%). Level of adherence to guidelines was associated with geographical regions (the northeast P < 0.001; the west P = 0.02; the middle P < 0.001 compared with the east), hospital grades (P = 0.028), length of practitioners' practice (P = 0.006), education background (Ph.D., P = 0.027; Master, P = 0.002), evidence-based medicine skills acquired in work unit (P = 0.012), and medical specialty of practitioner (General Practice, P = 0.006; Surgery, P = 0.043).Conclusion: Despite general acknowledgement of the importance of guidelines, the use of guidelines was not as frequent as might have been expected. To optimize the likelihood of adherence to guidelines, guideline implementation should follow an actively developed dissemination plan incorporating features associated with adherence in our study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study investigates the impact of China's Green Credit Guidelines on the technological innovations of heavily polluting enterprises. This study uses data obtained from the CSMAR database (2007–2018) and China Marketization Index Report by Province 2018 and uses the Green Credit Guidelines as a quasi-natural experiment. The sample was divided into an experimental group and a control group; the experimental group disclosed environmental and sustainable development information, while the control group did not. This study's primary finding is that the Green Credit Guidelines can improve the level of technological innovation of heavily polluting enterprises and have a greater impact in areas with high levels of marketization, indicating that the Green Credit Guidelines have a positive effect on the technological innovation of heavily polluting enterprises. This provides China with an experience constructing relevant policies and regulations and provides empirical evidence regarding the technological innovations of heavily polluting enterprises from the perspective of factor market distortions and the Porter hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the expert consensus on parenteral and enteral nutrition support for geriatric patients in China in 2013, domestic multidisciplinary experts were gathered to summarize the new evidence in the field of elderly nutritional support at home and abroad. The 2013 consensus was comprehensively updated and upgraded to a guideline by referring to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system for grading evidence. These guidelines were divided into two parts: general conditions and common diseases. After discussion by all members of the academic group and consultation with relevant experts, 60 recommendations were ultimately established as standardized nutritional support in the field of geriatrics in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a gap between China and developed countries in Europe and America as to the normalization of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) diagnostic reports. The aim of this study was to construct a structured CMR report template suitable for China's actual conditions. Methods: Cardiac magnetic resonance standardized image interpretation and post‐processing guidelines and CMR report guidelines are the consensus and recommendations of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR) experts whose goal is to ensure the consistent quality and repeatability of CMR reports. This structured CMR report template was constructed based on the guidelines for standardized image interpretation, post processing and reporting of CMR examinations, combined with the experiences learned in Germany and the practical experiences in China. It consisted of three parts: Device and Methods, Findings (Structure and function, Tissue Characterization), Summary and Conclusion. Detailed directions were provided section by section. Results: This structured CMR report template underlined the comprehensive analysis of the results of morphological, functional and tissue characteristics to provide conclusive opinions and answer the corresponding important questions raised by the clinicians. Conclusion: The standardization of qualitative and quantitative assessments of CMR results is the core of structured reporting of CMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of interventional pulmonology, photodynamic therapy (PDT) is gradually being used in the treatment of respiratory malignant tumors because of its low level of trauma, high specificity, and compatibility with traditional or common therapies. However, at present, the data of clinical evidence‐based medicine for PDT applied in central airway tumors is very limited, and derives mainly from case reports or series of case studies which lack consensus on clinical diagnosis and treatment. In order to further disseminate China's experience, the Tumor Photodynamic Therapy Committee of China Anti‐Cancer Association and the World Endoscopy Association‐Respiratory Endoscopy Association invited experts from relevant fields to form an expert committee. After several rounds of discussion and revision by this committee, and following a vote, the consensus was formulated for reference by physicians in respiratory, oncology and other related disciplines to refer to the practice of tumor photodynamic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research problem: This study investigates the way in which large Chinese firms communicated occupational fatalities in corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports. Research questions: 1. Did the sample firms disclose information about workplace fatalities in their CSR reports? 2. What communicative strategies were used in the disclosure for the purpose of self-legitimation? 3. How were these strategies manifested linguistically and rhetorically? Literature review: The study is based on legitimacy theory, which suggests that when reporting bad news, firms may use communicative strategies to maintain or restore organizational legitimacy. Previous studies of negative CSR disclosures focus more on information selection and omission than on information presentation. A lack of consideration of actual organizational performance in some studies also makes it less feasible to account for strategies that firms use to misrepresent reality. Methodology: The study compared CSR reports issued by Fortune 500 Chinese firms with the firms’ reports of fatal occupational incidents to see whether the incidents were reported faithfully. An integrated analytical framework of legitimation strategies, developed from previous studies of legitimation in organizational communication, was applied to the analysis. Results and conclusions: Most firms disclosed their fatality incidents. Legitimation strategies—in particular, positive performance evaluations and corrective actions—were used by the firms to de-emphasize or minimize the bad news. This study calls for greater attention from CSR monitors and professionals to information presentation as an important indicator of report quality. The findings are limited to one type of CSR disclosure and to the firms that were examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality Problem or Issue: Chinese medical institutions need clinical guidelines to improve healthcare quality. Unfamiliarity with clinical methodology and procedures leads to poor quality.Initial Assessment: This study examined 327 clinical guidelines made in China during the period of 2006-10 and found these clinical guidelines have many problems in terms of guideline making procedures-compliant process, conflicts of interest disclosure.Choice Of Solution: Chinese Medical Association organized a working group in 2014 to make a national [Guideline for Clinical Guidelines Constitution/Amendment] and invited multidiscipline experts to prove its possibility.Implementation: Experts investigated and reviewed numerous domestic and foreign published literature within the past 2 years, concluded that a clinical guideline should have following seven components: I. Objective; II. General Principle; III. Procedure and Methodology; IV. Confirmation, Publication and Dissemination; V. Update and Amendment; VI. Implementation and Outcome Validation; VII. Reference.Evaluation: The [Guideline for Clinical Guidelines Constitution/Amendment] will improve the quality of Chinese clinical guidelines and regulate applications, as well as outcome evaluations of clinical guidelines in China.Lessons Learned: Standardized methodology and procedures are important for constituting high-quality clinical guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the impact of nutritional support on clinical outcomes in patients at nutritional risk who receive nutritional support that meets guideline standards and those who do not.Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled hospitalized patients from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from February 2010 to June 2012. The research protocols were approved by the university's ethics committee, and the patients signed informed consent forms. The clinical data were collected based on nutritional risk screening, administration of enteral and parenteral nutrition, surgical information, complications, and length of hospital stay.Results: During the study period, 525 patients at nutritional risk were enrolled in the cohorts. Among patients who received nutritional support that met the guideline standards (Cohort 1), the incidence of infectious complications was lower than that in patients who did not meet guideline standards (Cohort 2) (17.1 % vs. 26.9 %, P = 0.01). Subgroup analysis showed that individuals who received a combination of parenteral nutrition (PN) and enteral nutrition (EN) for 7 or more days had a significantly lower incidence of infectious complications (P = 0.001) than those who received only PN for 7 or more days or those who received nutritional support for less than 7 days or at less than 10 kcal/kg/d. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that, after adjusting for confounding factors, nutritional support that met guideline standards for patients with nutritional risk was a protective factor for complications (OR: 0.870, P < 0.002).Conclusions: In patients at nutritional risk after abdominal surgery, nutritional support that meets recommended nutrient guidelines (especially regimens involving PN + EN ≥ 7 days) might decrease the incidence of infectious complications and is worth recommending; however, well-designed trials are needed to confirm our findings. Nutritional support that does not meet the guideline standards is considered clinically undesirable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The organ donation system in China has far lagged behind international levels. Transformation of this situation began in July 2005. A complete organ donation system that ensures fairness, impartiality, transparency, and respect for life has now been developed. This system is composed of regulations and policies, an organizational structure, operational guidelines, organ procurement organizations, registration of donors and recipients, and an organ allocation system. Since March 2010, pilot trials on donation after circulatory death ( DCD) have been carried out. In 4 years, organ donation has started in 25 of 32 provinces in the country. From 2010 to 2013, the ratio of DCD liver transplantation to total case numbers in China rose from 1.38% to 26.1%, whereas for kidney, the ratio were 0.59% and 24.6%, respectively. The total number of DCD in China has accumulated to 1564 cases, and 4243 organs were transplanted. To alleviate the further difficulties of donation, establishment of professional organ procurement organizations in transplant hospitals, legislation of brain death, and promulgation of legal guidelines on DCD will be the main targets of organ donation development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the development of death penalty legal representation guidelines in China based on the American Bar Association's "Guidelines for the Appointment and Performance of Defense Counsel in Death Penalty Cases" as of 2014. According to the article, law professors, legal advocates, and defense attorneys in China collaborated on the creation of a code for lawyers who represent defendants in death penalty cases. China’s Supreme People’s Court and defendants' rights are examined.

The article discusses the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). It informs that entities mentioned under the GPA rules include federal agencies and local agencies. It is stated that China, which is likely to joining the GPA has 350,000 state-influenced enterprises (SIE) at the least. It discusses the short-term case of China and which of its SIEs should be covered during its GPA accession negotiations in the future.

The article presents information on various articles and concerns of the Anti-Monopoly Law (AML) of China including its intellectual property (IP) abuse and monopolization provisions. The concerns include--the AML's potential application to the use of IP rights needs more clarity, certain provisions of the AML are vague and require clarification through guidelines or regulations before it becomes effective, and the AML's administration. Article 17 of the AML prohibits dominant firms from engaging in various acts, all of which amount to an abuse of dominant position. It is stated that Article 55 of the AML offers no guidance regarding what conduct may be deemed "abusing" IP rights.

Background: Since 2008, updated perioperative blood management (PoBM) guidelines have been implemented in Zhejiang, China. These guidelines ensure that the limited blood resources meet increasing clinical needs and patient safety requirements. We assessed the effects of implementing updated PoBM guidelines in hospitals in Zhejiang, China.Methods: We performed a retrospective multicenter study that included adult patients who received blood transfusions during surgical care in the years 2007 and 2011. The volume of allogeneic red blood cells or autologous blood transfusions (cell salvage and acute normovolemic hemodilution [ANH]) for each case was recorded. The rates of performing appropriate pre-transfusion assessments during and after surgery were calculated and compared between the 2 years.Results: We reviewed 270,421 cases from nine hospitals. A total of 15,739 patients received blood transfusions during the perioperative period. The rates of intraoperative allogeneic transfusion (74.8% vs. 49.9%, p <  0.001) and postoperative transfusion (51.9% vs. 44.2%, p <  0.001) both decreased from 2007 to 2011; the rates of appropriate assessment increased significantly during (63.0% vs. 78.0%, p <  0.001) and after surgery (70.6% vs. 78.4%, p <  0.001). The number of patients who received cell salvage or ANH was higher in 2011 (27.6% cell salvage; 9.3% ANH) than in 2007 (6.3% cell salvage; 0.1% ANH).Conclusion: Continuing education and implementation of updated PoBM guidelines resulted in significant improvements in the quality of blood transfusion management in hospitals in Zhejiang, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]