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Households can reduce environmental problems by minimizing their waste. Studies suggest that feedback may promote waste minimization. We propose that the effectiveness of feedback depends on the standard to which the feedback is compared. We tested the effect of feedback on waste minimization compared to a personal goal (goal comparison feedback), the behaviour of others (social comparison feedback), or one's past behaviour (historical comparison feedback). Furthermore, the underlying process explaining the effect of feedback on behaviour is yet unclear. We tested the influence of feedback on environmental self-identity, self-efficacy, and descriptive social norms to minimize waste. We conducted a field study in the Netherlands. Households received feedback during six months on the number of residual waste bags they produce. The results show that all intervention groups reduced their number of waste bags including the control group that only received information on how to reduce waste. Yet, a comparison neighbourhood did not reduce their actual waste during the same time period. We did not find clear differences between the different feedback comparison standards. Furthermore, the feedback did not influence any of the process variables. We found that environmental self-identity was most consistently related to self-reported waste behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new 8-hydroxybriaranes—fragilides R–T (1–3) were obtained from a sea whip gorgonian coral Junceella fragilis. The structures of briaranes 1–3 were elucidated by using spectroscopic methods, including 1D (1H and 13C NMR), 2D (COSY, HSQC, HMBC, and NOESY experiments) NMR studies, and (+)-HRESIMS. Fragilides S and T (2 and 3) are the only briaranes known to possess 8α-hydroxy and 17β-methyl groups, respectively. Briarane 2 exerted an inhibition effect on iNOS release from RAW264.7; a macrophage cell line that originated from a mouse monocyte macrophage, stimulated with lipopolysaccharides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Talin-1 is the core mechanosensitive adapter protein linking integrins to the cytoskeleton. The TLN1 gene is comprised of 57 exons that encode the 2,541 amino acid TLN1 protein. TLN1 was previously considered to be expressed as a single isoform. However, through differential pre-mRNA splicing analysis, we discovered a cancer-enriched, non-annotated 51-nucleotide exon in TLN1 between exons 17 and 18, which we refer to as exon 17b. TLN1 is comprised of an N-terminal FERM domain, linked to 13 force-dependent switch domains, R1-R13. Inclusion of exon 17b introduces an in-frame insertion of 17 amino acids immediately after Gln665 in the region between R1 and R2 which lowers the force required to open the R1-R2 switches potentially altering downstream mechanotransduction. Biochemical analysis of this isoform revealed enhanced vinculin binding, and cells expressing this variant show altered adhesion dynamics and motility. Finally, we showed that the TGF-β/SMAD3 signaling pathway regulates this isoform switch. Future studies will need to consider the balance of these two TLN1 isoforms., (© 2023 Gallego-Paez et al.)