Reversibility of developmental heat and cold plasticity is asymmetric and has long-lasting consequences for adult thermal tolerance

The ability of insects to cope with stressful temperatures through adaptive plasticity has allowed them to thrive under a wide range of thermal conditions. Developmental plasticity is generally considered to be a non-reversible phenotypic change, e.g. in morphological traits, while adult acclimation responses are often considered to be reversible physiological responses. However, physiologically mediated thermal acclimation might not follow this general prediction. We investigated the magnitude and rate of reversibility of developmental thermal plasticity responses in heat and cold tolerance of adult flies, using a full factorial design with two developmental and two adult temperatures (15 and 25°C). We show that cold tolerance attained during development is readily adjusted to the prevailing conditions during adult acclimation, with a symmetric rate of decrease or increase. In contrast, heat tolerance is only partly reversible during acclimation and is thus constrained by the temperature during development. The effect of adult acclimation on heat tolerance was asymmetrical, with a general loss of heat tolerance with age. Surprisingly, the decline in adult heat tolerance at 25°C was decelerated in flies developed at low temperatures. This result was supported by correlated responses in two senescence-associated traits and in accordance with a lower rate of ageing after low temperature development, suggesting that physiological age is not reset at eclosion. The results have profound ecological consequences for populations, as optimal developmental temperatures will be dependent on the thermal conditions faced in the adult stage and the age at which they occur

Maturity Model as a Driver for Circular Economy Transformation

The movement of manufacturing organisations towards a circular economy sets the scene for extensive industrial change. This change is not simply a continuation of current business; instead, it brings up multiple questions concerning ways of thinking, modes of operation, and the very foundation of a business. Manufacturing organisations are experiencing uncertainty regarding how to address this transformation due to its multi-faceted nature. Maturity models are seen by some as a tool for assessing and guiding manufacturing organisations when it comes to complex and multi-faceted agendas, such as that of the circular economy (CE). Maturity models provide scaffolding in the form of presentation of a desired evolution path from which manufacturing organisations can define reasonable and desirable plans for engagement with the circular economy. This study adopts the cumulative capability perspective in developing a CE maturity reference model that explicates the circular transformation by noting six discrete maturity levels across six organisational dimensions: value creation, governance, people and skills, supply chain and partnership, operations and technology, and product and material. The progression of circular maturity is explained by the principles of expertise and the systems perspective. The explication of CE transformation across dimensions and levels provides a boundary object for organisations, i.e., a scaffolding for moving from its current zone of development to its proximal zone of development

Unlocking Barriers to Circular Economy: An ISM-Based Approach to Contextualizing Dependencies

Despite it being imperative to a sustainable development, a circular economy remains scarcely adopted by companies. Barriers towards this are extensively explored yet with little focus on their mutual dependencies. Neglecting dependencies is argued to cause suboptimization and lead to unsuccessful circular projects. To counter this and strengthen companies in assessing dependencies among context-dependent barriers towards a circular transition, this study proposes a practice-oriented approach based on an interpretive structural modelling methodology. This is validated through a case study with a Danish mechatronics manufacturer with which fourteen semi-structured interviews, a survey, and a workshop were conducted. Findings reveal an interwoven network of barriers with numerous chain mechanisms across managerial, market-related, financial, technical, and regulative aspects, which underpins the need to approach the circular transition systemically. Furthermore, the study demonstrates the ability of the methodology to facilitate discussions and assist industrial practitioners, both on a strategic and operational level, in systematically untangling the complex interrelations to identify root causes for inertia and prioritize mitigation measures

Exploring correlations between neuropsychological measures and domain-specific consistency in associations with n-3 LCPUFA status in 8-9 year-old boys and girls

<div><p>Long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) have in some studies been associated with cognitive and socioemotional outcomes in children, but results are inconsistent possibly due to the use of different tests and potential gender-specific effects. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to explore overall patterns in neuropsychological scores as well as correlations between scores within specific domains, and to examine potential gender differences and consistency in associations with n-3 LCPUFA status. In 199 Danish 8–9 year-old children, we performed a large battery of tests and questionnaires on attention, processing speed, executive functions, memory, and socioemotional traits, and measured erythrocyte fatty acid composition. Principal component analyses (PCA) showed that most of the variation in both cognitive performance and socioemotional traits was explained by overall performance, followed by speed-accuracy trade off and externalizing vs. internalizing problems, respectively. Boys had higher speed, lower attention and higher externalizing problem scores than girls. Measures of performance within both processing speed and attention domains correlated moderately, whereas no correlations were found for measures of executive functions apart from some weak correlations for impulsivity. Parent-rated scores for both externalizing and internalizing problems correlated strongly, whereas correlations with child-rated scores were weak. Scores within specific domains did not consistently associate with n-3 LCPUFA, except for processing speed measures which all pointed to faster processing with increased n-3 LCPUFA status. Gender differences in the associations were observed for attention and impulsivity. Child- but not parent-rated internalizing and social problems tended to associate directly with n-3 LCPUFA, supported by increased internalizing problems measured by the PCA component. In conclusion, measures of speed and attention seem to represent these domains in general, whereas single measures of more complex cognitive functions should be interpreted with caution. One approach could be to use multiple tests and create multivariate scores to guide interpretations. Furthermore, the results indicate a need to consider both parent- and child-rated socioemotional scores and gender differences in neuropsychological functions e.g. in investigations of n-3 LCPUFA effects.</p></div