How 'green' buying affects how we feel: a study on the impact of green purchases on an individual's subjective well-being

The current study investigates whether green buying may affect how one feels. The results of a large-scale survey study showed that green purchase behavior is positively related to an individual’s subjective well-being. In particular, the study suggests that individuals who are frequently purchasing green products experience higher satisfaction with life, higher self-esteem, more positive emotional experiences and less negative emotional experiences. In addition, this study shows that this positive effect can be partly explained by the fact that green consumption triggers an individual’s altruistic behavior which is in turn positively related to well-being

The impact of green appeals on credibility: a mixed-method approach

Many advertisers use green advertisements to convey their products’ and company’s responsibility towards the environment. However, previous studies suggest that consumers are skeptic towards such claims. As credibility is an important indicator of ad effectiveness, the current paper investigates the impact of green advertising on credibility by relating the green characteristics of advertisements to perceived credibility. In general, results of a quantitative study indicate that level of greenness has a positive impact, while environmental involvement has a negative impact on the credibility of green advertisements

Effects of positive mood on attention broadening for self-related information

Studies on cognitive effects of positive emotions have associated positive emotions to broadened attention. Given the widely investigated relationship between self-focused attention and mood, it is important to investigate the effect of positive mood on visuospatial attention for self-related information. We used a performance-based measure to assess fluctuations in attentional broadening from self-related contrasted to not-self-related information. In Experiment 1, we checked that the self-related versus not-self-related stimuli did not evoke differential attention effects in general. In Experiment 2, we manipulated mood and found that an increase in positive mood was associated with a relative broadening of attention for self-related information. These results suggest that the meaning of the target of attention provides an interesting dimension for further investigation into the relation between positive emotions and attentional broadening

The influence of natural pulmonary surfactant on the efficacy of siRNA-loaded dextran nanogels

Aim: Topical administration of siRNA nanocarriers is a promising approach in the treatment of pulmonary disorders. Pulmonary surfactant, covering the entire alveolar surface of mammalian lungs, will be one of the first interfaces that siRNA nanocarriers encounter upon inhalation therapy. Therefore, it is of outstanding importance to evaluate the impact of pulmonary surfactant on the performance of siRNA nanocarriers. Materials & methods: The effect of natural lung-derived surfactants on the siRNA delivery capacity of dextran nanogels (DEX-NGs) was evaluated in vitro using flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Results: Although the interaction with pulmonary surfactant decreases the cellular internalization of siRNA-loaded DEX-NGs significantly, the gene silencing potential of siRNA-loaded DEX-NGs was maintained. On the other hand, cationic lipid-based siRNA nanocarriers (Lipofectamine (TM) RNAiMAX) were incompatible with pulmonary surfactants. Conclusion: Our data suggest that pulmonary surfactant can enhance the intracellular siRNA delivery by DEX-NGs, thereby possibly providing new therapeutic opportunities

Lactifluus persicinus sp. nov. from the gallery forests of West Cameroon

During field work in the Noun division of western Cameroon during 2011, 2012, and 2014, several collections of an unknown Lactifluus species were discovered in a gallery forest with Uapaca guineensis. Molecular and morphological research shows that these collections represent a new species, Lactifluus persicinus, which is described in this paper. Lactifluus persicinus belongs to Lf. sect. Xerampelini in Lf. subg. Pseudogymnocarpi