ETC L2 ARCHIVE, Vielsalm

ICOS RIArchive Product for ICOS Ecosystem data. It is the most complete data collection for the ICOS ecosystem station and it contains all the data (continuous fluxes and meteo and ancillary) and metadata collected and produced

Stakeholders’ responses to CSR tradeoffs:SWhen other-orientation and trust trump material self-interest

When investing in corporate social responsibility (CSR), managers may strive for a win-win scenario where all stakeholders end up better off, but they may not always be able to avoid trading off stakeholders’ interests. To provide guidance to managers who have to make tradeoffs, this study used a vignette-based experiment to explore stakeholders’ intention to associate with a firm (i.e., buy from or become an employee) that trades off CSR directed at the stakeholders’ own group (self-directed CSR) and CSR directed at another stakeholder group (other-directed CSR). Results show that stakeholders were not systematically more attracted to a firm that favors their own group over another stakeholder group. Specifically, stakeholders’ other-orientation moderated their reaction to tradeoffs: stakeholders higher on other-orientation were willing to forego some material benefits to associate with a firm that treated suppliers in developing countries significantly better than its competitors, whereas stakeholders lower on other-orientation were more attracted to a firm favoring their own stakeholder group. Other-orientation also moderated reactions to tradeoffs involving the environment, although high CSR directed at the environment did not compensate for low self-directed CSR even for stakeholders higher on other-orientation. Second, the vignette study showed that trust mediated the relationship between tradeoffs and stakeholders’ reactions. The study contributes first and foremost to the burgeoning literature on CSR tradeoffs and to the multimotive approach to CSR, which claims that other motives can drive stakeholders’ reactions to CSR in addition to self-interest. First, it provides further evidence that studying CSR tradeoffs is important to understand both (prospective) employees’ and customers’ reactions to CSR-related activities. Second, it identifies other-orientation as a motive-related individual difference that explains heterogeneity in stakeholders’ reactions to CSR. These findings suggest several avenues for future research for organizational psychologists interested in organizational justice. Third, it investigates trust as a mediating mechanism. Fourth, it reveals differences in stakeholders’ reactions depending on which other stakeholder group is involved in the tradeoff. For practice, the findings suggest that tradeoffs are important because they influence which stakeholders are attracted to the firm

Salinity modifies heavy metals and arsenic absorption by the halophyte plant species Kosteletzkya pentacarpos and pollutant leaching from a polycontaminated substrate.

Phytomanagement of polycontaminated soils is challenging, especially in areas simultaneously affected by salinity. The wetland halophyte plant species Kosteletzkya pentacarpos was cultivated in a column device allowing leachate harvest, on a polycontaminated spiked soil containing Cd (6.5 mg kg−1 DW), As (75 mg kg−1 DW), Zn (200 mg kg−1 DW) and Pb (300 mg kg−1 DW) and irrigated with salt water (final soil electrical conductivity 5.0 ms cm−1). Salinity increased Cd bioavailability in the soil and Cd accumulation in the shoots while it had an opposite effect on As. Salinity did not modify Pb and Zn bioavailability and accumulation. Cultivating plants on the polluted soil drastically reduced the volume of leachate. In all cases, salinity reduced the total amounts of heavy metals removed by the leachate and significantly increased the proportion of Cd and Zn removed by the plants. Heavy metal contamination induced a decrease in shoot dry weight and an increase in malondialdehyde (an indicator of oxidative stress); both symptoms were alleviated by the additional presence of NaCl but this positive impact was not related to increase in protecting phytochelatins synthesis. It is concluded i) that bioavailability estimated by the 0.01M CaCl2 extraction procedure is not fully relevant from the heavy metal mobility, ii) that salinity decreased heavy metal percolation, especially in soils cultivated with K. pentacarpos and iii) that salinity improves plant tolerance to heavy metals in K. pentacarpos and that this species is a promising plant material for phytoremediation of polycontaminated soils

Cryopreservation of Prunus cerasus through vitrification and replacement of cold hardening with preculture on medium enriched with sucrose and/or glycerol

Cryopreservation is the only alternative, safe and cost-effective method for long-term storage of plant genetic resources, particularly for stone fruits (Prunus spp.). In this study, an efficient cryopreservation protocol was developed for sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.). In vitro shoot tips of two varieties (Montmorency and Schattenmorelle) were successfully cryopreserved using the vitrification technique. Our study showed the possibility of replacing the 3-week cold hardening treatment of mother-plants with preculture of apices on medium enriched with sucrose and/or glycerol. The highest recovery percentages after liquid nitrogen exposure were obtained after a cold hardening treatment followed by a 3-day preculrure on 0.8 M sucrose medium or by replacing cold hardening with a 7-day preculture on the following media: 0.4 M glycerol or sucrose, 0.4 M sucrose + 0.4 M glycerol or 0.8 M glycerol. Under these conditions, recovery after cryopreservation ranged between 41 and 63%, These results complement the range of Prunus species successfully cryopreserved using in vitro explants. Our protocol, which is simplified in comparison with the original one, since cold hardening of mother-plants in a cold chamber is replaced by pretreatment of apices on medium with high sugar concentration, may facilitate the application of vitrification for cryopreservation of additional Prunus specie

ETC L2 ARCHIVE, Lonzee, 2016-2022

Archive Product for ICOS Ecosystem data. It is the most complete data collection for the ICOS ecosystem station and it contains all the data (continuous fluxes and meteo and ancillary) and metadata collected and produced. https://hdl.handle.net/11676/bEvqWH6Y2ydt8tlgGbrcRSs

Vaginal Tampon Colonization by Staphylococcus aureus in Healthy Women

International audienceTampons recovered from a cohort of 737 healthy women (median age, 32 years) were analyzed for the presence of Staphylococcus aureus. A total of 198 tampons (27%) were colonized by S. aureus, 28 (4%) by a strain producing toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1). S. aureus was detected more frequently in tampons that did not require an applicator for their insertion (74/233 [32%] versus 90/381 [24%]; odds ratio [OR] = 1.51 [95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 2.17]) and in women who used an intrauterine device for contraception (53/155 [34%] versus 145/572 [27%]; OR = 1.53 [95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 2.24]). The S. aureus strains isolated from tampons belonged to 22 different clonal complexes (CCs). The most prevalent CC was CC398 agr1 (n = 57 [27%]), a clone that does not produce superantigenic toxins, followed by CC30 agr3 (n = 27, 13%), producing TSST-1 (24/27 [89%]), the principal clone of S. aureus involved in menstrual toxic shock syndrome (MTSS).IMPORTANCE Menstrual toxic shock syndrome (MTSS) is an uncommon severe acute disease that occurs in healthy menstruating women colonized by TSST-1producing S. aureus who use intravaginal protection, such as tampons and menstrual cups. The catamenial product collected by the protection serves as a growth medium for S. aureus and allows TSST-1 production. Previous studies evaluated the prevalence of genital colonization by S. aureus by vaginal swabbing, but they did not examine tampon colonization. This study demonstrated a high prevalence of tampon colonization by S. aureus and the presence of the CC30 TSST-1 S. aureus clone responsible for MTSS in tampons from healthy women. The results support the vaginal carriage of this lineage in healthy women. In addition, the higher prevalence of S. aureus within tampons that do not require an applicator indicates a crucial role for handwashing before tampon handling to decrease the risk of tampon contamination

Large scale screening discovers clofoctol as an inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 replication that reduces COVID-19-like pathology

The fastest way to implement a treatment against a new rapidly emerging viral disease consists in screening the potential antiviral activity of drugs approved for human use. This has the advantage of shortening regulatory preclinical development steps. Here, we screened a library of drug compounds, already registered in one or several geographical areas, to identify those exhibiting antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 with relevant potency. Of the 1,942 compounds tested, 21 exhibited a substantial antiviral activity in Vero-81 cells. Among them, clofoctol, an antibacterial drug used for the treatment of bacterial respiratory tract infections, was further investigated due to its favorable safety profile and its pharmacokinetic properties. Notably, the peak concentration of clofoctol that can be achieved in human lungs is more than 20 times higher than its IC 95 measured against SARS-CoV-2 in human pulmonary cells. Mechanistically, this compound inhibits SARS-CoV-2 at a post-entry step by specifically blocking translation initiation of viral RNA. Lastly, therapeutic treatment of human ACE2 receptor transgenic mice decreased viral load, reduced inflammatory gene expression and improved pulmonary pathology. Altogether, these data strongly support clofoctol as a therapeutic candidate for the treatment of COVID-19 patients

Clofoctol inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication and reduces lung pathology in mice

International audienceDrug repurposing has the advantage of shortening regulatory preclinical development steps. Here, we screened a library of drug compounds, already registered in one or several geographical areas, to identify those exhibiting antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 with relevant potency. Of the 1,942 compounds tested, 21 exhibited a substantial antiviral activity in Vero-81 cells. Among them, clofoctol, an antibacterial drug used for the treatment of bacterial respiratory tract infections, was further investigated due to its favorable safety profile and pharmacokinetic properties. Notably, the peak concentration of clofoctol that can be achieved in human lungs is more than 20 times higher than its IC 50 measured against SARS-CoV-2 in human pulmonary cells. This compound inhibits SARS-CoV-2 at a postentry step. Lastly, therapeutic treatment of human ACE2 receptor transgenic mice decreased viral load, reduced inflammatory gene expression and lowered pulmonary pathology. Altogether, these data strongly support clofoctol as a therapeutic candidate for the treatment of COVID-19 patients

Power in economic games

Economic games offer an analytic tool to examine strategic decision-making in social interactions. Here we identify four sources of power that can be captured and studied with economic games - asymmetric dependence, the possibility to reduce dependence, the ability to punish and reward, and the use of knowledge and information. We review recent studies examining these distinct forms of power, highlight that the use of economic games can benefit our understanding of the behavioral and neurobiological underpinnings of power, and illustrate how power differences within and between groups impact cooperation, exploitation, and conflict