Risk perceptions typically underlie a complex social dynamic: Risk-related information is transmitted between individuals, this information influences risk perceptions, and risk perceptions influence which information is transmitted. This can lead to a social amplification of risk. We test how stress, a widespread affective state, influences the social dynamics of risk perception. Participants (N = 146) read articles about the controversial antibacterial agent Triclosan and were then asked to inform another person about Triclosan. Before and after reading the articles, participants reported their concern about Triclosan. Stress exposure before the task led to a smaller increase in concern in response to the articles. The stronger the increase in cortisol, the smaller the increase in concern. Furthermore, participants in the stress group transmitted less negative information about Triclosan to others. In contrast, participants' subjective feelings of stress were associated with higher concern and more alarming risk communication. We conclude that feeling stressed can amplify risk perception, whereas the endocrine stress reaction can attenuate risk perception when information about risk is exchanged in a social context.

Decisions under risk in the medical domain have been found to systematically diverge from decisions in the monetary domain. When making choices between monetary options, people commonly rely on a decision strategy that trades off outcomes with their probabilities; when making choices between medical options, people tend to neglect probability information. In two experimental studies, we tested to what extent differences between medical and monetary decisions also emerge when the decision outcomes affect another person. Using a risky choice paradigm for medical and monetary decisions, we compared hypothetical decisions that participants made for themselves to decisions for a socially distant other (Study 1) and to recommendations as financial advisor or doctor (Study 2). In addition, we examined people's information search in a condition in which information about payoff distributions had to be learned from experiential sampling. Formal modeling and analyses of search behavior revealed a similarly pronounced gap between medical and monetary decisions in decisions for others as in decisions for oneself. Our results suggest that when making medical decisions, people try to avoid the worst outcome while neglecting its probability—even when the outcomes affect others rather than themselves.

Physiological synchrony (PS) is defined as the co-occurrence and interdependence of physiological activity between interaction partners. Previous research has uncovered numerous influences on the extent of PS, such as relationship type or individual characteristics. Here, we investigate the influence of acute stress on PS. We do so in a setting in which PS was not promoted, but contact between group members was explicitly minimized. We reanalyzed cortisol, alpha-amylase, and subjective stress data from 138 participants (mean age = $$23.48 \pm 3.99$$ 23.48 ± 3.99 , 47.1% female) who previously underwent the Trier Social Stress Test for groups (TSST-G) or a non-stressful control task together, collected as part of a larger project by Popovic et al. (Sci Rep 10: 7845, 2020). Using a stability and influence model, an established method to test for synchrony, we tested whether individuals’ cortisol and alpha-amylase concentrations could be predicted by group members’ levels. We found cortisol PS in participants who were in the same group, the extent of which was stronger in the non-stressful control condition. For alpha-amylase, participants were synchronized as well; furthermore, there was an interaction between previous stress levels and PS. This suggests that while synchrony of both stress markers can occur in group settings even with spurious interaction, stressor exposure might attenuate its extent. We argue that if PS occurs in a sample where interaction was minimal, the phenomenon might be more widespread than previously thought. Furthermore, stressor exposure might influence whether a situation allows for PS. We conclude that PS should be investigated within group settings with various degrees of social interaction to further expose mechanisms of and influence on PS.

In this study, three different rat hybridoma cell lines secreting monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) recognizing the spores from Alternaria alternata, a plant pathogenic fungus, contaminant of food products and important cause of both allergic rhinitis and asthma, have been characterized. These three mAbs are all of IgM isotype. Two antibodies, A1 and F10, were cross-reactive antibodies recognizing spores from Alternaria, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus and Stachybotrys genera, but not the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Candida albicans. Competitive and sandwich assays demonstrated that these two mAbs were directed against the same or very close repetitive(s) epitope(s). A1-based sandwich ELISA efficiently detected this epitope in various mould (but not yeast)-soluble extracts prepared from strains grown in the laboratory. Moreover, this A1-based sandwich ELISA detected its cognate epitope in air and dust samples obtained from dwellings. The third antibody, E5, recognized only the spores of Alternaria and the phylogenetically very close Ulocladium botrytis. This E5 antibody is directed against a repetitive epitope found in Alternaria and Ulocladium laboratory extracts and can be used in a sandwich assay for the quantification of these moulds. Therefore, E5 antibody is a promising tool for the development of Alternaria-Ulocladium-specific immunoassays, while A1 and F10 could be interesting tools for the quantification of the total mould biomass.

<p>The most important question a national weather service should ask itself in connection with its warning task is: "Do our warnings contribute to reducing the impact of extreme weather events?". A perfect impact forecast of an extreme weather event does not necessarily contribute to reduce the impact of the event. Even the most perfect warning, whether based on physical thresholds or on potential impact, is not a guarantee for a reduction of the impact of the warned extreme event. Only If the warning reaches the recipient in time, is understood and action is taken, is there a chance that the impact can be reduced, which means that the warning unfolds an impact. Therefore, if we want the recipient to understand the warnings and to know what action to take, we have to know what his needs are.</p><p>In this contribution we describe a method (“Jobs to be done”) with which we investigated the needs of the authorities in terms of severe weather warnings in Switzerland and we will present the results of this investigation. This method focuses our attention on those processes that are important to the authorities but unsatisfactorily fulfilled. Once isolated, we engage our experts in cooperation with the authorities to find optimal and innovative solutions through design thinking workshops. In the Swiss federal structure, the warning chain extends over all levels of the governance structure: the severe weather warnings are issued at federal level and transmitted to the Cantons, these can decide to add local information, particularly concerning impact, and transmit them to the communities and the population. In our investigation, we concentrated on the administrative authorities and on the cantonal coordination bodies of the fire brigades. The aim of this study is to find indications for optimising the warnings, in terms of content, representation and also distribution.</p><p>The investigation started in January 2021 with a series of interviews with seven natural hazard experts and six fire inspectors of different Cantons. Currently (April 2021) we are running two surveys in all Cantons and in June we plan two workshops with representatives of the Cantons and of the fire brigades together with collaborators of the National Weather Service MeteoSwiss (forecasters, developers and key accounts). </p>