Corporate social and environmental disclosure as a sustainable development tool provided by board sub-committees: Do women directors play a relevant moderating role?

he aim of this research is to examine the impact of three audit committee characteristics on corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSR) disclosure: the existence of an audit committee, audit committee independence, and audit committee financial expertise. Moreover, this research analyzes the moderating effect of board gender diversity between these audit committees' attributes and CSR reporting. The results of analyzing 13,178 firm-year observations of non-financial companies show that the presence of an audit committee and audit committee financial expertise are positively associated with CSR disclosure. However, a higher proportion of non-executive directors in audit committees has a negative effect on the disclosure of CSR information. These findings suggest that some audit committees' features play an important role in ensuring the reporting of environmental, social, and economic information. Our evidence also indicates that the presence of female directors on boards increases the positive impact of financial expert membership of audit committees on CSR disclosure, while women directors moderate any negative effect of the percentage of independent directors on audit committees on CSR reporting by increasing the latter. In addition, female directors moderate the positive impact of the existence of an audit committee on the disclosure of CSR information by reducing the latter

Use of a D-optimal design with constrains to quantify the effects of the mixture of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium chloride salts on the growth parameters of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The combined effect of NaCl, KCl, CaCl(2), and MgCl(2) on the water activity (a (w)) and the growth parameters of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was studied by means of a D-optimal mixture design with constrains (total salt concentrationsor = 9.0%, w/v). The a (w) was linearly related to the concentrations of the diverse salts; its decrease, by similar concentrations of salts, followed the order NaClCaCl(2)KClMgCl(2), regardless of the reference concentrations used (total absence of salts or 5% NaCl). The equations that expressed the maximum specific growth (mu (max)), lag phase duration (lambda), and maximum population reached (N (max)) showed that the values of these parameters depended on linear effects and two-way interactions of the studied chloride salts. The mu (max) decreased as NaCl and CaCl(2) increased (regardless of the presence or not of previous NaCl); however, in the presence of a 5% NaCl, a further addition of KCl and MgCl(2) markedly increased mu (max). The lambda was mainly affected by MgCl(2) and the interactions NaCl x CaCl(2) and CaCl(2) x MgCl(2). The further addition of NaCl and CaCl(2) to a 5% NaCl medium increased the lag phase while KCl and MgCl(2) had negligible or slightly negative effect, respectively. N (max) was mainly affected by MgCl(2) and its interactions with NaCl, KCl, and CaCl(2); MgCl(2) stimulated N (max) in the presence of 5% NaCl while KCl, NaCl, and CaCl(2) had a progressive decreasing effect. These results can be of interest for the fermentation and preservation of vegetable products, and foods in general, in which this yeast could be present

Selfsimilar Domain Growth, Localized Structures and Labyrinthine Patterns in Vectorial Kerr Resonators

We study domain growth in a nonlinear optical system useful to explore different scenarios that might occur in systems which do not relax to thermodynamic equilibrium. Domains correspond to equivalent states of different circular polarization of light. We describe three dynamical regimes: a coarsening regime in which dynamical scaling holds with a growth law dictated by curvature effects, a regime in which localized structures form, and a regime in which polarization domain walls are modulationally unstable and the system freezes in a labyrinthine pattern.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure

Larval mortality rates and population dynamics of Lesser Sandeel (Ammodytes marinus) in the northwestern North Sea

Intense fishing of a stock of sandeels (Ammodytes marinus) on the sand banks off the Firth of Forth, northeast Scotland, during the 1990s led to a decline in catch per unit effort to uneconomic levels and collateral failures of piscivorous seabird breeding success at nearby colonies. A prohibition on fishing in 1999 was followed by a short-term recovery of stock biomass, but then a sustained decline to very low levels of abundance. Demographic survey data show that despite the decline in stock, recruit abundance was maintained implying an increasing larval survival rate, and that the stock decline was not due to recruitment failure. To verify this hypothesis we analysed a 10-year long data set of weekly catches of sandeel larvae at a nearby plankton monitoring site to determine the patterns of larval mortality and dispersal. We found that the loss rate of larvae up to 20 d age decreased over time, corresponding with the trend in survival rate implied by the stock demography data. The pattern of loss rate in relation to hatchling abundance implied that mortality may have been density dependent. Our study rules out increased larval mortality as the primary cause of decline in the sandeel stock

Twelve years of daily weather descriptions in North America in the eighteenth century (Mexico City, 1775-86)

© 2019 American Meteorological Society. The authors are very grateful to Ana Gavilán and César Paradinas for their help with the transcription of the FZO weather diary. Carlos Ordóñez reviewed the language. This work was supported by the research projects IMDROFLOOD financed by the Water Works 2014 cofunded call of the European Commission and INDECIS, which is part of ERA4CS, an ERA-NET initiated by JPI Climate by the European Union (Grant 690462). Marina Peña-Gallardo was granted by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), and Ahmed El Kenawy was supported by a postdoctoral Juan de la Cierva contract by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO). F. Domínguez-Castro, M. C. Gallego, J. M. Vaquero, R. García Herrera, M. Peña-Gallardo, A. El Kenawy, and S. M. Vicente-SerranoDepto. de Física de la Tierra y AstrofísicaFac. de Ciencias FísicasTRUEUnión Europea. H2020Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)JPI Climate by the European Unionpu

155-day Periodicity in Solar Cycles 3 and 4

The near 155 days solar periodicity, so called Rieger periodicity, was first detected in solar flares data and later confirmed with other important solar indices. Unfortunately, a comprehensive analysis on the occurrence of this periodicity during previous centuries can be further complicated due to the poor quality of the sunspot number time-series. We try to detect the Rieger periodicity during the solar cycles 3 and 4 using information on aurorae observed at mid and low latitudes. We use two recently discovered aurora datasets, observed in the last quarter of the 18th century from UK and Spain. Besides simple histograms of time between consecutive events we analyse monthly series of number of aurorae observed using different spectral analysis (MTM and Wavelets). The histograms show the probable presence of Rieger periodicity during cycles 3 and 4. However different spectral analysis applied has only confirmed undoubtedly this hypothesis for solar cycle 3.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, to appear in New Astronom

Therapy free of cells vs human mesenchymal stem cells from umbilical cord stroma to treat the inflammation in OA

[Abstract] Osteoarthritis (OA) is closely linked to the increase in the number of senescent cells in joint tissues, and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) is implicated in cartilage degradation. In the last decade, extracellular vesicles (EV) in combination with the use of miRNAs to modify post-transcriptional expressions of multiple genes have shown their utility in new therapies to treat inflammatory diseases. This work delves into the anti-inflammatory effect of extracellular vesicles derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) previously modified to inhibit the expression of miR-21. We compare the efficacy of two treatments, MSC with their miR-21 inhibited through lentiviral transfection and their EV, against inflammation in a new OA animal model. The modified MSC and their EV were intraperitoneally injected in an OA animal model twice. One month after treatment, we checked which therapy was the most effective to reduce inflammation compared with animals untreated. Treated OA model sera were analyzed for cytokines and chemokines. Subsequently, different organs were analyzed to validate the results obtained. EV were the most effective treatment to reduce chemokines and cytokines in serum of OA animals as well as SASP, in their organs checked by proteomic and genomic techniques, compared with MSC alone in a statistically significant way. In conclusion, MSC-miR-21--derived EV showed a higher therapeutic potential in comparison with MSCs-miR-21-. They ameliorate the systemic inflammation through inactivation of ERK1/2 pathway in OA in vivo model. Workflow of the realization of the animal model of OA by injecting cells into the joint cavity of the left knee of the animals, which produces an increase in serum cytokines and chemokines in the animals in addition to the increase in SASP and markers of inflammation. Inhibition of miR-21 in MSCs, from the stroma of the human umbilical cord, by lentivirus and extraction of their EVs by ultracentrifugation. Finally, application of MSC therapy with its miR-21 inhibited or its EVs produces a decrease in serum cytokines and chemokines in the treated animals, in addition to an increase in SASP and markers of inflammation. The cell-free therapy being the one that produces a greater decrease in the parameters studied.Xunta de Galicia; ED481D-2021-020Instituto de Salud Carlos III; PI20/0049

Communication with media in nuclear or radiological emergencies : General and practical recommendations for improvement

Communication with mass media during and after a nuclear emergency presents both a challenge and an opportunity for emergency management. The challenge lies with the different motivations and types of process applied by mass media and emergency management; the opportunity arises from the power of mass media to reach out to an audience with information important for compliance with protective actions. This article summarises recommendations for improved media communication by nuclear emergency management professionals. Recommendations address both the traditional and new media, and are the result of empirical and qualitative research conducted in the context of the FP7 PREPARE project, including: (i) a media content analysis of newspapers articles reporting about Fukushima (N = 1340); (ii) a content analysis of tweets about Fukushima (N = 914); and (iii) a qualitative approach - round table discussions with stakeholders (N > 100) involved in communication about nuclear emergencies. Results show that although challenging, nuclear emergency communication can be improved by using mass media and developing skills, training and resources during the preparedness phase of a nuclear emergency cycle. Some general recommendations and practical advice for communication with media is given

Standardization of European eel (Anguilla anguilla) sperm motility evaluation by CASA software

[EN] The development of powerful computer-assisted sperm analysis software has made kinetic studies of spermatozoa possible. This system has been used and validated for several species, but some technical questions have emerged regarding fish sample evaluations (i.e., frame rate, sperm dilution, chamber model, time of analysis, magnification lens, etc.). In the present study, we have evaluated the effects of different procedural and biological settings with the aim to correctly measure sperm quality parameters of the European eel. The use of different chambers did not affect the sperm motility parameters. However, regarding lens magnification, 10x was the most accurate lens, showing the least variation in the acquired data. Similarly, the frame rate setting resulted in a dramatic effect in some sperm kinetic parameters, primarily in terms of curvilinear velocity; we therefore recommend using the camera's highest available frame rate setting. Finally, the reduction in sperm motility over postactivation times suggests that sperm analysis should be performed within the first 60 seconds after activation of the European eel sperm. In conclusion, some protocol variables of sperm analysis by computer-assisted sperm analysis software can affect the measurement of eel sperm quality parameters, and should be considered before directly comparing results obtained by different laboratories. Moreover, because marine fish species show relatively similar features of sperm kinetic parameters, these results could be considered in the evaluation of the motility of sperm from other fish species. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.This study was funded from the European Community's 7th Framework Programme under the Theme 2 "Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology," grant agreement 245257 (Pro-Eel), and Generalitat Valenciana (ACOMP/2011/229). D.S.P. and P.C.F.C. have postdoctoral grants from UPV (CE-01-10) and PAC-EMBRAPA, respectively. I.M. and V.G. have predoctoral grants from Generalitat Valenciana and Spanish MICINN, respectively. The authors thank the Proiser R&D, S.L. team, who performed the task of fractioning the original sequences for the experiment described in section 3.2.Gallego Albiach, V.; Carneiro, PCF.; Mazzeo, I.; Vilchez Olivencia, MC.; Peñaranda, D.; Soler, C.; Pérez Igualada, LM.... (2013). Standardization of European eel (Anguilla anguilla) sperm motility evaluation by CASA software. Theriogenology. 79(7):1034-1040. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2013.01.019S1034104079

Action Mechanisms of Small Extracellular Vesicles in Inflammaging [Review]

This article belongs to the Special Issue Extracellular Vesicles Research in Inflamm-Aging[Abstract] The accumulation process of proinflammatory components in the body due to aging influences intercellular communication and is known as inflammaging. This biological mechanism relates the development of inflammation to the aging process. Recently, it has been reported that small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are mediators in the transmission of paracrine senescence involved in inflammatory aging. For this reason, their components, as well as mechanisms of action of sEVs, are relevant to develop a new therapy called senodrugs (senolytics and senomorphic) that regulates the intercellular communication of inflammaging. In this review, we include the most recent and relevant studies on the role of sEVs in the inflammatory aging process and in age-related diseases such as cancer and type 2 diabetes.J.F.L. was funded by Xunta de Galicia, Grant Number ED481D-2021-020. M.C.A. received a grant from the Spanish National Health Institute Carlos III (PI20/00497)Xunta de Galicia; ED481D-2021-02