Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles in improved strain of Auricularia polytricha -an edible mushroom from Nigeria and its antimicrobial activities

Nano materials and their application are of great use in research because of their size range. In this study, Auricularia polytricha (EW1) collected from Benin in Southern Nigeria was subjected to mutation by exposure to UV-light resulting in a mutant (EW1M1). EW1 and EW1M1 were evaluated for biosynthesis of silver nano-particles. The anti-microbial properties of both strains were also evaluated. Absorption spectra of silver nano-particle (AgNPs) of mutant exhibited a strong broad peak at 420 nm while wild type absorption peak was obtained at less than 420 nm. The mutant was further characterised. DLS showed a monodispersion with diverse sizes, morphology and shapes. TEM micrograph revealed a monodispersed formation of the nano-particles, with uniform size at 10 – 20 nm. FTIR study revealed the absorption bands at 3380, 2921, 2839, 1658, 1083 and 610 cmֿ1 respectively showing the functional groups reducing the silver nitrate to silver ion. There was formation of zone of inhibition on all the microorganisms that were used for the study but the control showed no zone of inhibition. The mushroom extract of mutant strain exhibited higher anti microbial activity than the wild type

Scaling sustainability from the organizational periphery to the strategic core : towards a practice-based framework of what practitioners “do”

This paper explores what sustainability managers do when attempting to scale sustainability to a strategic level within their organization. Drawing on semistructured interview data with 44 sustainability managers in large, for‐profit companies, we identify three distinct scaling microstrategies that individuals use when scaling sustainability. We label these conforming, leveraging, and shaping. Our analysis also finds that sustainability managers deploy combinations of these microstrategies in three distinct approaches, which we call the assimilation approach, the mobilization approach, and the transition approach. Finally, we interrogate the degree to which employing these different approaches achieves a peripheral, intermediate, or strategic scale of sustainability within the organizations represented in the study. Our paper contributes to theory and practice at the interface of strategy and sustainability by developing a practice‐based Scaling Approach Framework, whereby an assimilation approach is associated with organizations with sustainability at a peripheral scale, a mobilization approach is associated with an intermediate scale of sustainability, and a transition approach is associated with scaling sustainability to a strategic level. From these results, we propose a Scaling Progression Model that reflects the phases that individuals progress through when scaling sustainability.PostprintPeer reviewe

Agricultura familiar, multifuncionalidade da agricultura e ruralidade: interfaces de uma realidade complexa.

Nas últimas décadas, assistimos à revitalização do debate em torno da agricultura familiar pela incorporação das discussões sobre as múltiplas funções da agricultura num rural que não pode mais ser visto como domínio exclusivo da atividade agrícola e dos agricultores. No contexto brasileiro, acreditamos que essa discussão deva ser permeada pela análise de como processos diferenciados de distribuição fundiária e desenvolvimento econômico e o tipo de agricultura resultante geram ruralidades específicas com características como, no caso da agricultura familiar, a manutenção de práticas sociais e de trabalho marcadas pelas relações de parentesco e vizinhança presentes numa sociedade de interconhecimento. Partindo desse princípio, este trabalho analisa a agricultura familiar de um bairro rural do município de Ouro Fino - MG, sua herança histórica e sua participação na criação de uma paisagem natural e humana que muito contribui para a atratividade da região

CEO Profile and Earnings Quality

This paper introduces the PSCORE, which aggregates nine personal characteristics of chief executive officers (CEOs), to signal the quality of earnings. The PSCORE is a composite score based on publicly available data on CEOs. The study reports strong positive relationships between the PSCORE and two different proxies for earnings quality, (i) discretionary accruals and (ii) financial statement errors, measured by deviations of the first digits of figures reported in financial statements from those expected by Benford’s Law. Further analyses indicate that the relationships between the PSCORE and the proxies for earnings quality become more pronounced when CEOs have high equity-based compensation incentives. The findings have some implications for practitioners