33 research outputs found
Evaluation of Compost Maturity, Hydrophysical and Physicochemical Properties: Indicators for Use as a Component of Growing Media
The cocomposting of agricultural waste is a new management priority in Tunisia. In this study, four composts were evaluated by comparing the changes in measured hydrophysical and physicochemical properties and phytotoxicity. The organic wastes used were almond shell (AS), sesame bark (SB), olive husk (OH), and green and wood wastes (GW and WW, respectively). Composts CI and CII were composed of AS/SB and OH/SB, respectively, at a ratio of 75/25 (wet weight basis). CIII consisted of OH, SB and CAS (coarsely-ground almond shell used as a bulking agent) at a ratio of 55/25/20. Finally, CIV was composed of 25%SB+9%CAS+18%GW+48%WW. The composts studied were characterized by basic pH and an electric conductivity (EC) value ranging from 1.6 to 2.4 mS/cm. The organic matter contents (OM) and C/N ratios of composts ranged from 20 to 46% and from 10 to 21%, respectively. Based on hydrophysical analyses, composts CI, CIII and CIV, containing AS, were shown to have a porosity and a water content of 10-26% and 10-20%, respectively. The phytotoxicity of composts was studied on the basis of cress seed germination. Results revealed that differences in properties are mainly related to the nature of composted waste and that some of these composts are compatible for use as constituents in growing media for horticultural soilless cultures
Distinct expression patterns of the E3 ligase SIAH-1 and its partner Kid/KIF22 in normal tissues and in the breast tumoral processes
SIAH proteins are the human members of an highly conserved family of E3 ubiquitin ligases. Several data suggest that SIAH proteins may have a role in tumor suppression and apoptosis. Previously, we reported that SIAH-1 induces the degradation of Kid (KIF22), a chromokinesin protein implicated in the normal progression of mitosis and meiosis, by the ubiquitin proteasome pathway. In human breast cancer cells stably transfected with SIAH-1, Kid/KIF22 protein level was markedly reduced whereas, the Kid/KIF22 mRNA level was increased. This interaction has been further elucidated through analyzing SIAH and Kid/KIF22 expression in both paired normal and tumor tissues and cell lines. It was observed that SIAH-1 protein is widely expressed in different normal tissues, and in cells lines but showing some differences in western blotting profiles. Immunofluorescence microscopy shows that the intracellular distribution of SIAH-1 and Kid/KIF22 appears to be modified in human tumor tissues compared to normal controls. When mRNA expression of SIAH-1 and Kid/KIF22 was analyzed by real-time PCR in normal and cancer breast tissues from the same patient, a large variation in the number of mRNA copies was detected between the different samples. In most cases, SIAH-1 mRNA is decreased in tumor tissues compared to their normal counterparts. Interestingly, in all breast tumor tissues analyzed, variations in the Kid/KIF22 mRNA levels mirrored those seen with SIAH-1 mRNAs. This concerted variation of SIAH-1 and Kid/KIF22 messengers suggests the existence of an additional level of control than the previously described protein-protein interaction and protein stability regulation. Our observations also underline the need to re-evaluate the results of gene expression obtained by qRT-PCR and relate it to the protein expression and cellular localization when matched normal and tumoral tissues are analyzed
Perceptions of the appropriate response to norm violation in 57 societies
Norm enforcement may be important for resolving conflicts and promoting cooperation. However, little is known about how preferred responses to norm violations vary across cultures and across domains. In a preregistered study of 57 countries (using convenience samples of 22,863 students and non-students), we measured perceptions of the appropriateness of various responses to a violation of a cooperative norm and to atypical social behaviors. Our findings highlight both cultural universals and cultural variation. We find a universal negative relation between appropriateness ratings of norm violations and appropriateness ratings of responses in the form of confrontation, social ostracism and gossip. Moreover, we find the country variation in the appropriateness of sanctions to be consistent across different norm violations but not across different sanctions. Specifically, in those countries where use of physical confrontation and social ostracism is rated as less appropriate, gossip is rated as more appropriate.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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Changes in social norms during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic across 43 countries
Data availability:
The data generated in this study have been deposited in the Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/STKFR). Non-experimental data included in our datasets (i.e., intensity of government response to COVID-19 is the Stringency Index, COVID-19 deaths and cases per million) are taken from the Oxford COVIDâ19 Government Response Tracker [22 Hale, T. et al. A global panel database of pandemic policies (Oxford COVIDâ19 Government Response Tracker). Nat. Human Behav. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01079-8 (2021).] and Our World in Data [38 Ritchie, H. et al. Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus (2020).] (downloaded November 2020). Wave 0 data are from [3 Gelfand, M. J. et al. Differences between tight and loose cultures: a 33-nation study. Science 332, 1100â1104 (2011).[ and Wave 1 data are from [5 Eriksson, K. et al. Perceptions of the appropriate response to norm violation in 57 societies. Nat. Commun. 12, 1481 (2021).].Code availability:
The survey and analysis code are available at the Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/STKFR).Supplementary information is available online at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-44999-5#Sec40 .The emergence of COVID-19 dramatically changed social behavior across societies and contexts. Here we study whether social norms also changed. Specifically, we study this question for cultural tightness (the degree to which societies generally have strong norms), specific social norms (e.g. stealing, hand washing), and norms about enforcement, using survey data from 30,431 respondents in 43 countries recorded before and in the early stages following the emergence of COVID-19. Using variation in disease intensity, we shed light on the mechanisms predicting changes in social norm measures. We find evidence that, after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, hand washing norms increased while tightness and punishing frequency slightly decreased but observe no evidence for a robust change in most other norms. Thus, at least in the short term, our findings suggest that cultures are largely stable to pandemic threats except in those norms, hand washing in this case, that are perceived to be directly relevant to dealing with the collective threat.Knut and Wallenberg Grant âHow do human norms form and change?â 2016.0167. (G.An.). The Swedish Research Council grant âNorms & Risk: Do social norms help dealing with collective threatsâ 2021-06271 (G.An.). Ministero dellâIstruzione dellâUniversitĂ e della Ricerca, PRIN 2017, prot. 20178TRM3F (D.B.). Universidad de Los Andes, Fondo VicerrectorĂa de Investigaciones (J.-C.C.). Ministry of Innovation and Technology of Hungary, National Research, Development and Innovation Fund NKFIH-OTKA K135963 (M.F.). Grant 23-061770âS of the Czech Science Foundation (M.H. and S.G.). RVO: 68081740 of the Institute of Psychology, Czech Academy of Sciences (M.H. and S.G.). RA Science Committee, research project N.20TTSH-070 (A.Gr. and N.Khac.). Open University of Israel, 511687 (R.N.). HSE University Basic Research Program (E.O.). Project BASIC (PID2022-141802NB-I00) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by âERDF A way of making Europeâ (A.SĂĄ.). US Army Research Office Grant W911NF-19-1-910281 (B.S.). Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, 019.183SG.001 (E.S.). Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, VI.Veni.201âG.013 (E.S.). European Commission, Horizon 2020-ID 870827 (E.S.). UKRI Grant âSecret Powerâ No. EP/X02170X/1 awarded under the European Commissionâs âEuropean Research Council - STGâ Scheme (G.A.T.)
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Anger and disgust shape judgments of social sanctions across cultures, especially in high individual autonomy societies
Data availability;
The datasets analyzed during the current study are available in the Center for Open Science repository, https://osf.io/djnfg/.Supplementary Information is available online at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s41598-024-55815-x#Sec17 .When someone violates a social norm, others may think that some sanction would be appropriate. We examine how the experience of emotions like anger and disgust relate to the judged appropriateness of sanctions, in a pre-registered analysis of data from a large-scale study in 56 societies. Across the world, we find that individuals who experience anger and disgust over a norm violation are more likely to endorse confrontation, ostracism and, to a smaller extent, gossip. Moreover, we find that the experience of anger is consistently the strongest predictor of judgments of confrontation, compared to other emotions. Although the link between state-based emotions and judgments may seem universal, its strength varies across countries. Aligned with theoretical predictions, this link is stronger in societies, and among individuals, that place higher value on individual autonomy. Thus, autonomy values may increase the role that emotions play in guiding judgments of social sanctions.This research was funded by the Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences (Riksbankens Jubileumsfond) [P17-0030:1]. The contribution of J.W was supported by CAS Youth Innovation Promotion Association and fundings from the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Y5CX052003 and E2CX3315CX). The contributions of M.H and S.G. for the Czech part of research was supported by a Grant 23-061770S of the Czech Science Foundation and by RVO: 68081740 of the Institute of Psychology, Czech Academy of Sciences. Open access funding provided by Linköping University
Evolution of the physico-chemical properties of Tunisian agricultural wastes during compsting process
Evolution of the physico-chemical properties of Tunisian agricultural wastes during compsting proces
Caractérisation d'un photomÚtre solaire conçu pour l'étude des propriétés optiques des aérosols atmosphériques
Colloque avec actes et comitĂ© de lecture. Internationale.International audienceLes aĂ©rosols atmosphĂ©riques sont des particules trĂšs fines prĂ©sentant une large variĂ©tĂ© de taille et de composition chimique. L'impact de ces particules sur le climat est considĂ©rĂ©, aujourd'hui, comme l'un des aspects les plus mal connus du changement climatique. L'implantation d'un photomĂštre solaire sur une rĂ©gion donnĂ©e, permet d'effectuer les mesures nĂ©cessaires pour la caractĂ©risation des aĂ©rosols. Deux types de mesures peuvent ĂȘtre rĂ©alisĂ©es : une visĂ©e directe du soleil( mesure SUN ) permettant de mesurer l'Ă©paisseur optique des aĂ©rosols ( ou abondance ) dans les diffĂ©rents canaux et un balayage de la voĂ»te cĂ©leste ( mesure SKY )qui sert Ă dĂ©terminer la distribution en taille des particules ( ou granulomĂ©trie ). Dans le cadre d'un projet de recherche en collaboration avec le Laboratoire d'Optique AtmosphĂ©rique de Lille (France), un photomĂštre CIMEL a Ă©tĂ© installĂ© en 2001 sur le site de Thala (Tunisie ). Les diffĂ©rentes donnĂ©es fournies durant la pĂ©riode de fonctionnement ont permis de tirer des rĂ©sultats intĂ©ressant concernant la qualitĂ© environnementale de la rĂ©gion d'Ă©tude