Goal-directed behavior in Tenebrio molitor larvae.

Can signs of intentional behavior be traced in an insect larva, traditionally thought to be driven only by mere reflexes? We trained Tenebrio molitor coleoptera larvae in a uniform Y-maze to prefer one target branch to get access to food, observing their ability to learn and retain access to the reward-associated side for up to 24 h. During reward devaluation, the reward food (experimental group) and a different food (control group) were paired with an aversive stimulus in a new environment. When tested again in the Y-maze, mealworms of the experimental group significantly reduced their visits to the target branch, whereas mealworms of the control group did not. Importantly, we found that the larvae did not have to experience the unpleasant consequences directly in the target branch to halt their behavior, as the exposure to the aversive taste occurred in a separate unfamiliar context. This is evidence that the mealworms formed a mental representation of action-consequence relationships, demonstrating flexible control of their actions to achieve desired outcomes at an early stage of their development.

Anatomy-based fitting improves speech perception in noise for cochlear implant recipients with single-sided deafness.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate objective and subjective hearing outcomes in experienced cochlear implant users with single sided deafness (SSD CI) who used fitting maps created via anatomy-based fitting (ABF) and clinically-based fitting (CBF). PARTICIPANTS: Twelve SSD CI users with postlingual hearing loss. INTERVENTION: OTOPLAN (Version 3. (MED-EL) was used to determine intracochlear electrode contact positions using post-operative high-resolution flat panel volume computed tomography. From these positions, the corresponding center frequencies and bandwidths were derived for each channel. These were implemented in the clinical fitting software MAESTRO to yield an ABF map individualized to each user. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ABF and CBF maps were compared. Objective speech perception in quiet and in noise, binaural effects, and self-perceived sound quality were evaluated. RESULTS: Significantly higher speech perception in noise scores were observed with the ABF map compared to the CBF map (mean SRT50: -6.49 vs. -4.8 dB SNR for the S0NCI configuration and - 3.85 vs. -2.75 dB SNR for the S0N0 configuration). Summation and squelch effects were significantly increased with the ABF map (0.86 vs. 0.21 dB SNR for summation and 0.85 vs. -0.09 dB SNR for squelch). No improvement in speech perception in quiet or spatial release from masking were observed with the ABF map. A similar level of self-perceived sound quality was reported for each map. Upon the end of the study, all users opted to keep the ABF map. This preference was independent of the angular insertion depth of the electrode array. CONCLUSIONS: Experienced SSD CI users preferred using the ABF map, which gave them significant improvements in binaural hearing and some aspects of speech perception.

The joy of eating: how eating experiences enhance the well-being of older adults.

Introduction: The active aging strategy has as its policy implications the health, security, and participation of older people. The joy of eating is the main goal of establishing community-based service facilities for older people, as well as a source of health and well-being and a sense of meaning in the lives of older people. Methods: Based on the theory of human-environment relations and cognitive-emotional personality systems (CAPS), the study constructed a structural equation model of the eating experience, nostalgia, place attachment, and the well-being of the older adults in the community canteens as an interactive situation, and explored the relationship between the eating experience and the well-being of older people in the community canteens through the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results: The results of the study show that the older adults' eating experience has a significant positive effect on their well-being, and "eating" can make older adults feel happy. Older adults' eating experience has a significant effect on nostalgia, place attachment, and well-being, but nostalgia does not have a significant effect on older adults' well-being, and place attachment in the community canteens can enhance older adults' well-being. Meanwhile, the study further confirmed that place attachment plays a mediating role in the effect of eating experience on older adults' well-being. Discussion: The findings of the study promote the development of the fields of healthy eating, quality of life assessment, and dietary memory management for older people to a certain extent and provide an important reference for promoting the balanced layout and effective spatial design of community service facilities for older people.

The impact of place attachment on the environmentally responsible behavior of residents in National Park gateway communities and the mediating effect of environmental commitment: a case of China National Park.

As a member of the national park, the environmentally responsible behavior of the entrance community residents has an important impact on the ecological protection of the national park. However, there are still insufficient studies on the mechanism of influence of community residents' place attachment on environmentally responsible behavior and the role of environmental commitment. Based on the theory of interdependence, this study explored the impact of residents' place attachment in a national park gateway community on environmentally responsible behavior, and examined the mediating role of environmental commitment. We conducted empirical research on Shuiman gateway community of the Hainan Tropical Rainforest China National Park. Through structural equation modeling, the survey of 375 residents yielded the following conclusions: (1) place dependence indirectly affect environmentally responsible behavior via the mediating effect of place identity; (2) both place dependence and place identity have a positive and significant impact on environmental commitment; (3) environmental commitment has a positive and significant impact on environmentally responsible behavior; (4) the mediating effect of environmental commitment on the impact of place dependence on environmentally responsible behavior is significant and "place identity-environmental commitment" also has a significant mediating effect. Finally, three managerial insights were discussed. This study enriches the connotation and application scope of interdependence theory, explains the different roles of place dependence, place identity, and environmental commitment in the study of environmentally responsible behavior, and provides some inspiration for future research and practice of environmentally responsible behavior. It is helpful for community residents to participate in the ecological environment governance of national parks and achieve sustainable development.

S.3827 and a Systematic Review of State-Level Multisector Plans for Aging: How Incorporating Volunteer Caregiving Can Mitigate Service Gaps.

Recognizing the growing need to establish and enhance the necessary service infrastructure to better address the diverse needs of a rapidly aging US population, S.3827 (ie, Strategic Plan for Aging Act) seeks to provide federal support for the creation and implementation of Multisector Plans for Aging (MPAs). Passage of S.3827 can motivate states to strategically plan for a growing elder cohort, as only 8 states currently have developed and are implementing their own MPAs. In this policy brief, we detail the benefits of developing and implementing an MPA at the state level as well as the broad benefits of passing S.3827. We also conduct a systematic review of the 8 MPAs which have been developed and are currently being implemented, focusing on areas of significant overlap (eg, support for paid formal caregiving and support for informal family caregivers) and potential gaps. We conclude with a review of the volunteer caregiving movement and a discussion on how incorporating volunteer caregiving into an MPA can address local elder needs and mitigate service gaps, particularly among older adults who lack access to formal paid caregivers or informal family caregivers. Should S.3827 pass, we argue that state legislatures and stakeholders in eldercare should seriously consider incorporating the volunteer caregiving model into their strategic plans for aging.

Facilitating Domestic and Civic-Style Activity in the Later Life of Army Veterans: The Influencing Culture of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

The Royal Hospital Chelsea has been home to veterans of the British Army since 1692. Opportunities to remain physically active throughout the life course of its residents include participation in numerous hobbies within the quasi-military environment, and in the civic engagement representational role of the Chelsea Pensioner. This study examines the influence the Royal Hospital Chelsea culture has on resident opportunities to remain active. A non-traditional mixed-methods convergent design was used across three participant groups. Staff and established residents engaged in semi-structured qualitative interviews, with established residents and a cohort of new residents completing Quality of Life questionnaires. The findings indicate established Chelsea Pensioners experienced a sense of pride and purpose, elevated social status, and increased life satisfaction as a result of engaging in multiple activities. New Chelsea Pensioners demonstrated a trend towards increased quality of life after six months' residence at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Further research is required to explore the transferability of similar interventions into other residential establishments.

The reproductive geography of miscarriages. Social identities, places, and reproductive inequalities.

Increasing epidemiological evidence demonstrates the correlation between toxic contamination and miscarriages, and the disproportionate exposure of marginalised and racialised groups to environmental burdens. Yet, the debate on environmental reproductive health is still largely underpinned by a reductionist biomedical understanding of the health-place relationship that overlooks the interplay between social identities and places. In this article, I argue that understanding the role that places play in shaping reproductive inequalities, beyond the simplistic recognition of the environment as a factor of risk, is important to design a more inclusive reproductive health agenda that addresses the multiple scales across which reproductive inequalities unfold. These scales span from everyday experiences of reproduction to state-level models of reproductive governance. Drawing on 13 months of fieldwork in coca-farming territories in the Bajo Cauca region (Colombia), the aim of this paper is to conceptualise the reproductive geographies of miscarriages related to toxic contamination. This article contributes to debates on reproductive inequalities by discussing the complex and dynamic relationship between social identities and places, and theorising the spatiality of miscarriages.

Parallel maturation of rodent hippocampal memory and CA1 task representations.

Hippocampal-dependent memory is known to emerge late in ontogeny, and its full development is protracted. Yet the changes in hippocampal neuronal function that underlie this delayed and gradual maturation remain relatively unexplored. To address this gap, we recorded ensembles of CA1 neurons while charting the development of hippocampal-dependent spatial working memory (WM) in rat pups (∼2-4 weeks of age). We found a sharp transition in WM development, with age of inflection varying considerably between individual animals. In parallel with the sudden emergence of WM, hippocampal spatial representations became abruptly task specific, remapping between encoding and retrieval phases of the task. Further, we show how the development of task-phase remapping could partly be explained by changes in place-field size during this developmental period as well as the onset of precise temporal coordination of CA1 excitatory input. Together, these results suggest that a hallmark of hippocampal memory development may be the emergence of contextually specific CA1 representations driven by the maturation of CA1 micro-circuits.

Inuit birthing in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut: A place-based inquiry of maternity care systems.

Many Indigenous People in Northern and remote areas need to travel away from home for childbirth; however, their birthing traditions and practices are intimately tied to place. This qualitative research study characterized Inuit childbirth experiences and recommendations to enhance birthing supports in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut in Inuit Nunangat, Canada. Birthing experiences were profoundly shaped by relationships and place attachment, and recommendations related to increased Inuit involvement in maternity care systems. Place attachment is an important determinant of Inuit maternal health and may also be for other Indigenous Peoples with intrinsically place-based livelihoods, knowledge systems, and identities.

Dementia-focused programs in older adult centers and health care use among individuals with dementia.

There is growing attention to community-based services for preventing adverse health care outcomes among people aging with dementia. We explored whether the availability of dementia-centered programming within older adult centers (ie, senior centers)-specifically, adult day services (ADS), social adult day centers (SADCs), memory cafes, and caregiver support-is associated with reduced hospitalization, emergency room use, and total Medicare costs for community-dwelling individuals ages 75 and older with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), and whether associations differ by the relative size of the local jurisdiction. We used a novel dataset that links Medicare claims data with data from an organizational census of municipally based Massachusetts older adult centers. Living in a community with an older adult center that facilitates access to ADS and/or SADCs was associated with reduced hospital utilization and costs among residents in smaller jurisdictions. We found no evidence for associations concerning memory cafes or support groups. These findings underscore the potential of older adult centers in curbing health care costs and acute care usage among individuals with ADRD, particularly in smaller communities with centers that provide access to ADS.

Understanding the experiences of older adult participants and individuals involved in the delivery of a physical activity programme based on participatory approaches: A qualitative analysis.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to understand the experiences of older adult participants and service deliverers involved in a UK-based physical activity programme, developed using participatory approaches. METHODS: Focus groups and one-to-one interviews were conducted with 34 older adults (aged 55+ years) and 13 service providers. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted, structured using the framework approach. FINDINGS: Four themes were identified: (1) Co-designed activities met needs and encouraged attendance; (2) engagement and access of programme activities; (3) enjoyment and perceived benefits of sessions; and (4) support needs of individuals delivering activities. Co-designed activities appeared to meet participant needs and instil a sense of ownership of the programme. Feeling able to relate to other participants seemed important and of potential relevance to attracting older adults to the programme. Peer support may help to increase confidence in attending sessions; place-based approaches (using resources in local communities) and a flexible approach to involvement also seemed to facilitate engagement. Enjoyment of the programme appeared to be enhanced through activity variety and opportunity for socializing, with a sense of community being created through the support and encouragement of fellow participants. It was considered important that volunteers had appropriate recognition and ongoing support. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that using participatory approaches may facilitate enjoyment and sustained engagement of older adults. Provision based on local community assets may contribute to sustainability of services. However, providing ongoing support is imperative, requiring further costs and resources over the longer-term.

Advance Care Planning in Nursing Homes: Comparing Characteristics and Outcomes of Participants and Non-Participants.

BACKGROUND: There is an increasing need to integrate Advance Care Planning (ACP) in nursing homes (NH) due to rapid aging and burden of multimorbidity. This study examines differences in the characteristics and outcomes of NH residents enrolled in a palliative care programme who have completed ACP and those who did not. METHOD: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of 294 deceased residents enrolled into a palliative programme from 8 nursing homes in Singapore. Comparison was made between residents who completed an ACP and those who did not. Treatment preferences and place of death preferences were examined and concordance to these preferences were analyzed. RESULTS: ACP completion rate was 81% in the cohort. Residents opting for comfort measures only had high concordance (92%) for their preferred place of death (PPOD). However, residents opting for limited intervention showed lower PPOD concordance (77%), with many dying in hospitals despite a preference for dying in the NH. Residents with ACP were significantly more likely to die in NH (68.2% vs. 36.4%) and had a longer median programme enrolment duration (131 vs. 53 days) compared to those who did not complete ACP. CONCLUSION: Despite high ACP completion rate in our cohort, challenges remain in aligning treatment preferences with actual care provided, particularly for residents opting for limited intervention. Future efforts should focus on increasing ACP participation and addressing systemic barriers to improve end-of-life care outcomes for NH residents.

Community-based complex interventions to sustain independence in older people, stratified by frailty: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: Sustaining independence is important for older people, but there is insufficient guidance about which community health and care services to implement. Objectives: To synthesise evidence of the effectiveness of community services to sustain independence for older people grouped according to their intervention components, and to examine if frailty moderates the effect. Review design: Systematic review and network meta-analysis. Eligibility criteria: Studies: Randomised controlled trials or cluster-randomised controlled trials. Participants: Older people (mean age 65+) living at home. Interventions: community-based complex interventions for sustaining independence. Comparators: usual care, placebo or another complex intervention. Main outcomes: Living at home, instrumental activities of daily living, personal activities of daily living, care-home placement and service/economic outcomes at 1 year. Data sources: We searched MEDLINE (1946-), Embase (1947-), CINAHL (1972-), PsycINFO (1806-), CENTRAL and trial registries from inception to August 2021, without restrictions, and scanned reference lists. Review methods: Interventions were coded, summarised and grouped. Study populations were classified by frailty. A random-effects network meta-analysis was used. We assessed trial-result risk of bias (Cochrane RoB 2), network meta-analysis inconsistency and certainty of evidence (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation for network meta-analysis). Results: We included 129 studies (74,946 participants). Nineteen intervention components, including 'multifactorial-action' (multidomain assessment and management/individualised care planning), were identified in 63 combinations. The following results were of low certainty unless otherwise stated. For living at home, compared to no intervention/placebo, evidence favoured: multifactorial-action and review with medication-review (odds ratio 1.22, 95% confidence interval 0.93 to 1.59; moderate certainty) multifactorial-action with medication-review (odds ratio 2.55, 95% confidence interval 0.61 to 10.60) cognitive training, medication-review, nutrition and exercise (odds ratio 1.93, 95% confidence interval 0.79 to 4.77) and activities of daily living training, nutrition and exercise (odds ratio 1.79, 95% confidence interval 0.67 to 4.76). Four intervention combinations may reduce living at home. For instrumental activities of daily living, evidence favoured multifactorial-action and review with medication-review (standardised mean difference 0.11, 95% confidence interval 0.00 to 0.21; moderate certainty). Two interventions may reduce instrumental activities of daily living. For personal activities of daily living, evidence favoured exercise, multifactorial-action and review with medication-review and self-management (standardised mean difference 0.16, 95% confidence interval -0.51 to 0.82). For homecare recipients, evidence favoured the addition of multifactorial-action and review with medication-review (standardised mean difference 0.60, 95% confidence interval 0.32 to 0.88). Care-home placement and service/economic findings were inconclusive. Limitations: High risk of bias in most results and imprecise estimates meant that most evidence was low or very low certainty. Few studies contributed to each comparison, impeding evaluation of inconsistency and frailty. Studies were diverse; findings may not apply to all contexts. Conclusions: Findings for the many intervention combinations evaluated were largely small and uncertain. However, the combinations most likely to sustain independence include multifactorial-action, medication-review and ongoing review of patients. Some combinations may reduce independence. Future work: Further research is required to explore mechanisms of action and interaction with context. Different methods for evidence synthesis may illuminate further. Study registration: This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42019162195. Funding: This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme (NIHR award ref: NIHR128862) and is published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 28, No. 48. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.

Due to a lack of robust evidence, the benefits and risks of most types of community services for older people are unclear. Individualised care planning, where medication is adjusted and there are regular follow-ups, probably helps people stay living at home. There are many kinds of community services for older people. For example, in some services, everyone is given exercise and dietary advice or an individualised care plan. These often aim to help older people age independently. Maintaining independence is important in later life. We wanted to find out which community services work best: to help people stay living at home, and to do day-to-day activities independently. We reviewed findings from previous studies that have tested different community services for older people. We combined these findings and compared different types of service with one another. We rated our confidence in the evidence. We found 129 studies with 74,946 people. We found 63 different kinds of service have been studied. The studies were carried out in diverse populations around the world. Individualised care planning, where medication is adjusted and there are regular follow-ups, may help people age independently. It probably increases the chance of staying at home slightly. It may also help with doing day-to-day activities very slightly. Exercise and dietary advice may also help people stay living at home. However, there was some evidence that some services may reduce independence. We do not know what effect most services have. We generally had little confidence in the evidence because studies were small, and information was missing. The evidence is up to date to August 2021.

The ventral tegmental area dopamine to basolateral amygdala projection supports acquisition of cocaine self-administration.

Dopamine signaling in the amygdala is known to play a role in associative learning and memory, including the process of learning to associate environmental cues with the reinforcing properties of drugs like cocaine. Evidence suggests that the ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) projection specifically to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) participates in establishing cocaine-cue associations that can promote later craving- and relapse-like responses to the cue alone. In order to further investigate the specific role of VTA-BLA projections in cocaine-reinforced learning, we used chemogenetics to manipulate VTA DA inputs to the BLA during cocaine self-administration, cue- and cocaine-primed reinstatement, and conditioned place preference. We found inhibiting DA input to the BLA during cocaine self-administration inhibited acquisition and weakened the ability of the previously cocaine-paired cue to elicit cocaine-seeking, while acutely inhibiting the pathway on the day of cue-induced reinstatement testing had no effect. Conversely, exciting the projection during self-administration boosted the salience of the cocaine-paired cue as indicated by enhanced responding during cue-induced reinstatement. Importantly, interfering with DA input to the BLA had no impact on the ability of cocaine to elicit a place preference or induce reinstatement in response to a priming cocaine injection. Overall, we show that manipulation of projections underlying DA signaling in the BLA may be useful for developing therapeutic interventions for substance use disorders.

The congruence between the preferred and actual places of death among terminal cancer patients in China.

Background: Dying in a preferred place is important for a good death. Currently, no study has evaluated the extent to which the preferences for the place of death (PoD) are met among terminal cancer patients in China. This study examined the congruence between the preferred and actual PoD and its predictors among terminal cancer patients in China. Methods: Between 2015 and 2023, 845 terminal cancer patients from four tertiary hospitals in Wuhan, China, were enrolled and followed till death. Face-to-face surveys at baseline and telephone-based interviews in the last month of patients' lives were combined to learn patients' preferred PoD. Data on patients' actual PoD were collected from families within 1 month after patients' death. Results: Of the 410 patients who died, 62.7% of them died in hospitals. The agreement between patients' preferred and actual PoD was fair (κ = 0.221). The congruence between patients' preferred and actual PoD was 63.0, 36.6%, and 0 for hospital death, home death, and hospice facility/nursing home death separately. Patients were more likely to die in their preferred places if their preferred place and family caregivers' belief of patients' preferred PoD was congruent (odds ratio [OR] = 6.464, p = 0.001), or if caregivers had a medically related occupation (OR = 4.577, p = 0.003); if patients were hospitalized at least twice in the last month of life (OR = 0.422, p = 0.000), or the quality of care received by patients in the last 48 h was rated good by the families (OR = 0.373, p = 0.011), patients were less likely to die in their preferred places. Conclusion: The congruence between patients' preferred and actual PoD was fair. Advance care planning (ACP) needs to be popularized in China, and the quality of care in hospice facilities and nursing homes should be improved. The necessary policy support for hospice care should be made to respect cancer patients' end-of-life (EoL) care preferences in China.

"Nobody here is an individual": Developing a place-based understanding of biosecurity for managing sheep scab on the Western Isles of Scotland.

Sheep scab causes economic losses and animal welfare problems and has proven difficult to control in the UK. Research has highlighted the importance of developing place-based approaches to understanding and controlling sheep scab. This paper builds on this literature through introducing the concept of marginality in the case study of managing sheep scab on the island of Lewis and Harris in the Scottish Western Isles. The paper also proposes steps for developing a place-based understanding of biosecurity. The research draws on interviews and workshops with crofters analysed using thematic analysis. Crofting is a unique system of land management particular to Scotland. Crofters have the right to manage a small area of private land and access to a larger area of common grazing. The research found that there was a tension between the cultural heritage and social benefits of traditional crofting practices of common grazing and communal husbandry of sheep and the biosecurity imperative to reduce the mixing of sheep to prevent the spread of disease. Dynamics of marginalisation were also disrupting established husbandry practices through a lack of people and loss of sheep from the land. The crofters also identified collective actions they could take to tackle sheep scab, including collective dipping and controlling the movement of animals onto the island. Previous research has shown that in marginalised areas, social capital: networks between people, are not a panacea for bringing about positive change and additional resources from outside may be needed. Based on the findings of this research we suggest three phases for developing a place-based conception of biosecurity for livestock keepers. The first phase is to understand both the biosecurity challenges facing communities and cultural and social aspects of farming systems that are important to a region. The second is to facilitate livestock keepers to co-produce their own priorities for biosecurity that allow them to address disease management challenges in their own constraints. The third phase is to enable communities to implement measures in their context. This can involve facilitating access to potential financial resources, equipment, expertise and links with other community groups. These phases will facilitate them in developing their definition of place-based biosecurity. This paper addresses the first and preliminary research on the second stages of this process. Further research will lead to actions on the third phase to help crofters in Lewis and Harris to put a place based communal understanding of biosecurity into practice.

Assessment of needs, challenges, and re-design considerations for culturally sensitive provision and delivery of palliative care supports and services for older adults who prefer to age and die in place in diverse India.

As the global older adult population continues to grow, challenges related to managing multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) or multimorbidity underscore the growing need for palliative care. Palliative care preferences and needs vary significantly based on context, location, and culture. As a result, there is a need for more clarity on what constitutes palliative care in diverse settings. Our objective was to present an international perspective on palliative care in India, a culturally diverse and large ancient Eastern middle-income country. In this narrative review article, we considered three questions when re-designing palliative care for older adults aging-in-place in India: (I) what are the needs for palliative care for persons and their families? (II) Which palliative care domains are essential in assessing improvements in the quality of life (QoL)? (III) What patientreported measures are essential considerations for palliative care? To address these questions, we provide recommendations based on the following key domains: social, behavioral, psychological, cultural, spiritual, medical, bereavement, legal, and economic. Using an established and widely reported conceptual framework on aging and health disparities, we provide how these domains map across multiple levels of influence, such as individual or family members, community, institutions, and health systems for achieving the desired QoL. For greater adoption, reach, and accessibility across diverse India, we conclude palliative care must be carefully and systematically re-designed to be culturally appropriate and community-focused, incorporating traditions, individual preferences, language(s), supports and services from educational and health institutions, community organizations and the government. In addition, national government insurance schemes such as the Ayushman Bharat Yojna can include explicit provisions for palliative care so that it is affordable to all, regardless of ability to pay. In summary, our considerations for incorporating palliative care domains to care of whole person and their families, and provision of supports of services from an array of stakeholders broadly apply to culturally diverse older adults aging in place in India and around the globe who prefer to age and die in place.

Development and testing of the capacity of organisations for system practices scale.

BACKGROUND: Systems change approaches are increasingly adopted in public health to address complex problems. It is important that measures of systems change be developed so that the effects of systems change on health outcomes can be evaluated. Organisational practices are potential levers for systems change. However, robust measures of organisational capacity to engage in these practices are lacking. Informed by the Theory of Systems Change, we developed and tested the Capacity of Organisations for System Practices (COSP) scale. The COSP scale comprises four inter-related system practices within organisations-adaptation, alignment, collaboration and evidence-driven action and learning. METHODS: We applied a three-stage process: (1) Item generation; (2) Scale pre-testing; and (3) Structural analyses. Item response theory tests and semantic review, together with factor analytic techniques, were applied to refine the item set and determine the scale structure. RESULTS: An initial pool of 97 items was generated and pre-tested with six content experts and four target audience representatives. Modifications resulted in 60 items. In total, 126 participants provided data for the structural analysis. A second-order hierarchical four-factor model fit the data better than the more basic correlated factor model (Δχ2 = 1.758, p = .415). The fit indices for the final 31-item model were acceptable (RMSEA = .084, TLI = .819). CONCLUSIONS: The COSP scale is ready for further testing to ensure construct validity, stability and utility. SO WHAT?: Once validated, the Capacity of Organisations for System Practices (COSP) scale has the potential to advance the theory and practice of systems change approaches.

Rural human settlement environment, non-agricultural transfer of labour and arable land abandonment in China.

The arable land abandonment caused by the large-scale non-agricultural transfer of labour has attracted substantial attention from all walks of life in China. Promoting improvement in human settlement environment can accelerate the construction of infrastructure, ameliorate grassroots organization and enhance management capacities while simultaneously decelerating agricultural production costs. High level of human settlement environment can also attract the labour force to return, stimulate the vitality of rural elements and endogenous powers. Then, can improving rural human settlement environment alleviate the phenomenon of arable land abandonment caused by non-agricultural labour transfer? In order to answer this question, based on the micro-survey data of 1325 households in 5 provinces of China, this paper uses the Tobit model to empirically test the effects of rural human settlement environment and non-agricultural transfer of labour on arable land abandoned. The results revealed that rural human settlement can alleviate the arable land abandonment caused by non-agricultural transfer of labour to a certain extent. In particular, the improvement of rural human settlement environment that mainly based on the infrastructure construction and organizational management level, has significantly alleviated the arable land abandonment caused by the non-agricultural transfer of labour. Heterogeneity analysis disclosed that, compared with mountainous and hilly areas, the improvement of rural human settlement environment had a more obvious mitigation effect on arable land abandonment in plain areas. Promoting infrastructure construction and strengthening organizational management ability were effective ways to alleviate arable land abandonment in plain areas. Farmer households with high place attachment level were more likely to be attracted by the improvement of rural human settlement environment to return to their hometown, so as to make use of arable land resources. Improving infrastructure, strengthening organizational management level, and promoting cultural and community development were the main measures for farmer households with high place attachment level to reduce arable land abandonment. In addition, there were significant differences in arable land abandonment and its driving factors in different regions. In the central and eastern regions or major grain-producing areas, improving human settlement environment had a significant mitigation effect on arable land abandonment. Therefore, improving the rural human settlement environment according to local conditions, promoting the supportive policy will be inclined to mountainous and hilly areas, enhancing the attractiveness of rural areas, encouraging farmers with high place attachment level to return to their hometowns for employment and entrepreneurship, and accelerating the cultivation of new types of agricultural operators, which will help alleviate the arable land abandonment caused by non-agricultural transfer of labour.

Sequential physical and cognitive training disrupts cocaine-context associations via multi-level stimulation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis.

Cocaine-related contextual cues are a recurrent source of craving and relapse. Extinction of cue-driven cocaine seeking remains a clinical challenge, and the search for adjuvants is ongoing. In this regard, combining physical and cognitive training is emerging as a promising strategy that has shown synergistic benefits on brain structure and function, including enhancement of adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN), which has been recently linked to reduced maintenance of maladaptive drug seeking. Here, we examined whether this behavioral approach disrupts cocaine-context associations via improved AHN. To this aim, C57BL/6J mice (N = 37) developed a cocaine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) and underwent interventions consisting of exercise and/or spatial working memory training. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was administered during early running sessions to tag a subset of new dentate granule cells (DGCs) reaching a critical window of survival during spatial learning. Once these DGCs became functionally mature (∼ 6 weeks-old), mice received extinction training before testing CPP extinction and reinstatement. We found that single and combined treatments accelerated CPP extinction and prevented reinstatement induced by a low cocaine priming (2 mg/kg). Remarkably, the dual-intervention mice showed a significant decrease of CPP after extinction relative to untreated animals. Moreover, combining the two strategies led to increased number and functional integration of BrdU+ DGCs, which in turn maximized the effect of spatial training (but not exercise) to reduce CPP persistence. Together, our findings suggests that sequencing physical and cognitive training may redound to decreased maintenance of cocaine-context associations, with multi-level stimulation of AHN as a potential underlying mechanism.