Ecological dependencies and the illusion of cooperation in microbial communities.

Ecological dependencies - where organisms rely on other organisms for survival - are a ubiquitous feature of life on earth. Multicellular hosts rely on symbionts to provide essential vitamins and amino acids. Legume plants similarly rely on nitrogen-fixing rhizobia to convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia. In some cases, dependencies can arise via loss-of-function mutations that allow one partner to benefit from the actions of another. It is common in microbiology to label ecological dependencies between species as cooperation - making it necessary to invoke cooperation-specific frameworks to explain the phenomenon. However, in many cases, such traits are not (at least initially) cooperative, because they are not selected for because of the benefits they confer on a partner species. In contrast, dependencies in microbial communities may originate from fitness benefits gained from genomic-streamlining (i.e. Black Queen Dynamics). Here, we outline how the Black Queen Hypothesis predicts the formation of metabolic dependencies via loss-of-function mutations in microbial communities, without needing to invoke any cooperation-specific explanations. Furthermore we outline how the Black Queen Hypothesis can act as a blueprint for true cooperation as well as discuss key outstanding questions in the field. The nature of interactions in microbial communities can predict the ability of natural communities to withstand and recover from disturbances. Hence, it is vital to gain a deeper understanding of the factors driving these dynamic interactions over evolutionary time.

Conceptualising multiple hazards and cascading effects on critical infrastructures.

Despite increased research on 'multiple hazards' and 'cascading effects', ambiguity remains concerning terminology. This paper reviews the literature to explore how these two concepts are defined in relation to critical infrastructures and their vital societal functions. Next, it investigates how the concepts are operationalised in Swedish disaster risk management. Findings indicate that regardless of a wealth of methodologies assessing multiple hazards and their cascading effects, these are rarely used by local planners, suggesting a gap between scientific approaches and practical implementation. Research mainly captures multiple hazards and cascading effects through technical parameters related to the severity of a hazard or the direct physical impacts on infrastructure. Less focus has been placed on the wider or knock-on effects across sectors and how these translate into societal risk. Future research should move beyond traditional understandings of social vulnerabilities as only pre-existing, to analyse how cascading effects on infrastructure and services can put new social groups at risk.

Revisiting dynamic linkages among ecological sustainability, tourism, and climate change in China.

The research intends to inquire into the dynamic connections between ecological sustainability, tourism, and climate change. This novel approach aims to investigate the interdependencies among these three important variables. This research aims to examine tourism's effects on environmental sustainability in the face of global warming. We use a large dataset that comprises measures of tourist success, measurements of environmental sustainability, and climate change factors. Applying empirical estimation techniques allows a more detailed look at the data by accounting for variation across quantiles. The results of this study will aid in expanding our knowledge of the relationships among ecological sustainability, tourism, and climate change. To better understand the influence of tourism on ecological sustainability, it is helpful to quantify the interactions at various quantiles. Policymakers, stakeholders in the tourist sector, and environmental groups will find this information essential as they work to establish focused measures to encourage environmentally responsible travel and lessen the impact of climate change. This investigation also provides policy implications by shedding light on the interplay of tourist growth, ecological sustainability, and climate change reduction and offers research-based research solutions for achieving this delicate balancing action.

A portfolio decision analysis approach for selecting a subset of interdependent actions: The case of a regional climate roadmap in Finland.

In this paper, we present a structured approach based on portfolio decision analysis to support the consideration of interdependencies between actions (i.e. interactions) in the selection of an efficient portfolio. One of the main challenges in modelling interactions is that the possible number of them between the pairs of actions increases exponentially with the number of actions. In environmental management, the problems can include tens of possible actions potentially leading to hundreds of pairwise interactions between them. For example, a strategy for mitigating climate change can consist of various actions in different sectors for improving technology, reducing emissions and the sequestration of carbon. Our approach aims to reduce the burden of assessing interactions by initially selecting a shortlist of actions based on specific heuristics and focusing on modelling interactions exclusively within this chosen set of actions. Another feature of the approach is the use of holistic evaluation of interactions to further reduce the cognitive load of stakeholders making the assessment. As a possible disadvantage, these features may increase the imprecision related to the results of the model. To analyse the impacts of this imprecision, we propose a way to carry out sensitivity analysis on the basis of how intensively the interactions would be taken into account in the modelling. The applicability of the approach was tested in a case related to the roadmap to a carbon neutral North Savo region in Finland by the year 2035. The approach helped to better understand synergies and trade-offs when putting the actions of the roadmap into practice, which is expected to lead to better results in terms of preparedness and adaptation to climate change.

Relationship between the components of disability definition and the effectiveness of rehabilitation measures as a process.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The number of disabled persons is most often only estimated. The disabled require multidirectional, effective support in almost every field of functioning. There is no arbitrarily accepted definition of disability, and those currently available outline the ranges of support for which rehabilitation measures are necessary. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the review is to present the problem areas that contribute to the definition of disability and their interdependence and effectiveness in relation to rehabilitation interventions, as well as identification of the most frequent medical and social problems interdependent on the quality and feasibility of rehabilitation interventions. REVIEW METHODS: Scientific literature in Polish and English for 1993-2023 and legal acts concerning the definition of disability, definition of rehabilitation and the problem of employment were reviewed. The following key words were used to search the NIZP-PZH, MZ, JAHEE and ISAP databases: disabled persons, definitions of disability, rehabilitation as a process, synchronization of thematic groups of disability definitions with the rehabilitation process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF KNOWLEDGE: Disability is a public health problem. The actual determination of the extent, medical and social needs of people with disabilities involves methods and measures for classifying people as disabled. The effects of treatment and rehabilitation are assessed by the level of functioning of the disabled in society. SUMMARY: The multiplicity of characteristics included in the definitions of disability account for all problems in health and social terms. In view of the social, environmental and cultural changes, the scope of needs of people with disabilities is also changing, which can be seen in newly-developed definitions, including rehabilitation.

Access-based customer journeys.

Despite the popularity of access-based platforms, the understanding of customer journeys remains anchored in traditional market contexts that overlook prosumers' extended value-chain roles, interconnected experiences, and instrumental sociality in access-based consumption. Using a qualitative study on the access-based platform Rent the Runway, the authors discuss the nature of customer journeys in access-based platforms and showcase how customers perform these journeys. The study reveals two key elements: (1) systemic dynamics, which encompass just-in-time circularity and tightly coupled customer interdependencies, and (2) job crafting, which involves customer work practices that allow pain point avoidance, circulation flow adjustments, and journey stickiness increases. Job crafting can create unpredictable disruptions in other customer journeys and affect systemic flows. This investigation expands research on customer experience management and journey design by developing an access-based platform journey model differentiated from ownership- and service-based platform models, showcasing its systemic instability dynamics, and elaborating how to manage these customer journeys. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11747-023-00942-6.

Patients with Alzheimer's disease dementia show partially preserved parietal 'hubs' modeled from resting-state alpha electroencephalographic rhythms.

Introduction: Graph theory models a network by its nodes (the fundamental unit by which graphs are formed) and connections. 'Degree' hubs reflect node centrality (the connection rate), while 'connector' hubs are those linked to several clusters of nodes (mainly long-range connections). Methods: Here, we compared hubs modeled from measures of interdependencies of between-electrode resting-state eyes-closed electroencephalography (rsEEG) rhythms in normal elderly (Nold) and Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD) participants. At least 5 min of rsEEG was recorded and analyzed. As ADD is considered a 'network disease' and is typically associated with abnormal rsEEG delta (<4 Hz) and alpha rhythms (8-12 Hz) over associative posterior areas, we tested the hypothesis of abnormal posterior hubs from measures of interdependencies of rsEEG rhythms from delta to gamma bands (2-40 Hz) using eLORETA bivariate and multivariate-directional techniques in ADD participants versus Nold participants. Three different definitions of 'connector' hub were used. Results: Convergent results showed that in both the Nold and ADD groups there were significant parietal 'degree' and 'connector' hubs derived from alpha rhythms. These hubs had a prominent outward 'directionality' in the two groups, but that 'directionality' was lower in ADD participants than in Nold participants. Discussion: In conclusion, independent methodologies and hub definitions suggest that ADD patients may be characterized by low outward 'directionality' of partially preserved parietal 'degree' and 'connector' hubs derived from rsEEG alpha rhythms.

[Health from ecological justice: from the regeneration of wild nature to the prevention of future pandemics.] / La salud desde la justicia ecológica: de la regeneración de la naturaleza salvaje a la prevención de futuras pandemias.

The aim of this article is to explore a philosophical perspective on health linked to the restoration of wild nature, especially on the basis of some lessons that can be drawn from the spread of recent zoonotic diseases. The first section presents the relationship that the COVID-19 pandemic has maintained with social justice, venturing the thesis that ecological justice is a dimension that should be incorporated with deeper attention. To justify this, the following sections propose, first at the conceptual level, to approach a concept of health that is plural, dynamic and interdependent, and, then at the pragmatic level, to take as a reference the casuistry that shows an inverse correlation between the presence of wild biodiversity in a territory and contagion by zoonoses. In sum, these thoughts may lead to justify anticipatory duties for future pandemics and a responsibility for global health that deserve to be analyzed from an ethical point of view.

Este artículo trata de explorar una perspectiva filosófica de la salud vinculada a la restauración de la naturaleza salvaje, especialmente a raíz de algunos aprendizajes que podemos extraer de la propagación de enfermedades zoonóticas recientes. En el primer apartado se presenta la relación que ha mantenido la pandemia de la COVID-19 con la justicia social, aventurando la tesis de que la justicia ecológica es una dimensión que debería ser incorporada con mayor atención. Para justificar esto, en los siguientes apartados se propone, primero a nivel conceptual, abordar un concepto de salud que sea plural, dinámico e interdependiente, y, luego a nivel pragmático, tomar como referencia la casuística que muestra una correlación inversa entre la presencia de biodiversidad salvaje en un territorio y el contagio por zoonosis. En suma, estos pensamientos pueden llevar a justificar deberes anticipatorios de futuras pandemias y a una responsabilidad por la salud global que merecen ser analizados desde la ética.

Secular change of interdependencies in the clusters of the Japanese motor vehicle industry: a case study in the Tokai region.

The Tokai region, including the prefectures of Aichi, Shizuoka, Mie, Gifu, and Shiga, in the center of Japan's largest island, Honshu, houses clusters of the motor vehicle industry (MVI) and accounts for more than 50% of the domestic value from the MVI's manufactured goods shipments. The subcontracted factories in the MVI tend to locate their main hub close to the assembly factories, creating large supply-chain structures with wide transactions. Since the 1990s, new automotive assembly factories and subcontracted factories have been built outside Aichi, in the Kyushu and Tohoku regions. This may have had an influence on local industries and economy. This study applies the hypothetical extraction method to the Tokai region using the Chubu-region multi-regional input-output tables to understand the secular changes of interdependencies in the MVI as each prefecture in the Tokai region has automotive assembly factories. The study shows that the Aichi MVI has strengthened its ties with industries in other prefectures in the Tokai region and elsewhere because the rate of growth for Aichi dropped from 2005 to 2010. Still, other prefecture rates rose, thus expanding its supply-chain structure throughout Japan more than before. In addition, the study shows that the Shizuoka MVI has increased business relationships not only within its region but also with Aichi. These results highlight that the industrial linkage between the Aichi MVI and the Shizuoka MVI has deepened. However, the results show that the supply-chain structures of the Mie, Gifu, and Shiga MVI have remained inside of their respective regions.

La salud desde la justicia ecológica: de la regeneración de la naturalezasalvaje a la prevención de futuraspandemias / Health from ecological justice: from the regeneration of wild nature to the prevention of future pandemics

Este artículo trata de explorar una perspectiva filosófica de la salud vinculada a la restauración de la naturaleza salvaje, especial-mente a raíz de algunos aprendizajes que podemos extraer de la propagación de enfermedades zoonóticas recientes. En el primerapartado se presenta la relación que ha mantenido la pandemia de la COVID-19 con la justicia social, aventurando la tesis de que lajusticia ecológica es una dimensión que debería ser incorporada con mayor atención. Para justificar esto, en los siguientes apartadosse propone, primero a nivel conceptual, abordar un concepto de salud que sea plural, dinámico e interdependiente, y, luego a nivelpragmático, tomar como referencia la casuística que muestra una correlación inversa entre la presencia de biodiversidad salvaje enun territorio y el contagio por zoonosis. En suma, estos pensamientos pueden llevar a justificar deberes anticipatorios de futuraspandemias y a una responsabilidad por la salud global que merecen ser analizados desde la ética.(AU)

The aim of this article is to explore a philosophical perspective on health linked to the restoration of wild nature, especially on thebasis of some lessons that can be drawn from the spread of recent zoonotic diseases. The first section presents the relationship thatthe COVID-19 pandemic has maintained with social justice, venturing the thesis that ecological justice is a dimension that should beincorporated with deeper attention. To justify this, the following sections propose, first at the conceptual level, to approach a conceptof health that is plural, dynamic and interdependent, and, then at the pragmatic level, to take as a reference the casuistry that showsan inverse correlation between the presence of wild biodiversity in a territory and contagion by zoonoses. In sum, these thoughtsmay lead to justify anticipatory duties for future pandemics and a responsibility for global health that deserve to be analyzed froman ethical point of view.(AU)

Lessons learned in evaluating system interdependencies using qualitative methods.

This article shares lessons learned while evaluating the system interdependencies for a clinical and translational research centre (CTR). It explores the methodological challenge of discussing system concepts (e.g., cascading failures, feedback loops, and reflex arcs) with layperson participants during evaluation interviews. The article discusses the iterative process of moving from structured interview approaches in favor of an open narrative approach for data collection and lessons learned.

Leveraging water-wastewater data interdependencies to understand infrastructure systems' behaviors during COVID-19 pandemic.

Social distancing policies (SDPs) implemented worldwide in response to COVID-19 pandemic have led to spatiotemporal variations in water demand and wastewater flow, creating potential operational and service-related quality issues in water-sector infrastructure. Understanding water-demand variations is especially challenging in contexts with limited availability of smart meter infrastructure, hindering utilities' ability to respond in real time to identified system vulnerabilities. Leveraging water and wastewater infrastructures' interdependencies, this study proposes the use of high-granular wastewater-flow data as a proxy to understand both water and wastewater systems' behaviors during active SDPs. Enabled by a random-effects model of wastewater flow in an urban metropolitan city in Texas, we explore the impacts of various SDPs (e.g., stay home-work safe, reopening phases) using daily flow data gathered between March 19, 2019, and December 31, 2020. Results indicate an increase in residential flow that offset a decrease in nonresidential flow, demonstrating a spatial redistribution of wastewater flow during the stay home-work safe period. Our results show that the three reopening phases had statistically significant relationships to wastewater flow. While this yielded only marginal net effects on overall wastewater flow, it serves as an indicator of behavioral changes in water demand at sub-system spatial scales given demand-flow interdependencies. Our assessment should enable utilities without smart meters in their water system to proactively target their operational response during pandemics, such as (1) monitoring wastewater-flow velocity to alleviate potential blockages in sewer pipes in case of decreased flows, and (2) closely investigating any consequential water-quality problems due to decreased demands.

Health-related quality of life of advanced prostate cancer patients and spouses: results from actor-partner interdependence models.

BACKGROUND: Patients with prostate cancer (PC) and their spouses are confronted with several treatment-related and psychosocial challenges that can reduce their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Patients with advanced PC (aPC) and their spouses are at highest risk for psychological distress and show lower HRQoL compared with couples in other phases. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychological interdependencies between HRQoL and anxiety, fear of progression (FoP), and depression in patients with aPC and their spouses. METHODS: Ninety-six heterosexual couples with aPC participated in this cross-sectional study. Patients and spouses provided information about anxiety and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-4), fear of progression (short form of the Fear of Progression Questionnaire), and HRQoL (EORTC QoL-C30, version 3). Psychological interdependencies were analyzed with various actor-partner interdependence models using structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Anxiety, FoP, and depression were significant predictors of HRQoL for patients with aPC and their spouses (actor effects). Spouses' anxiety and FoP were negatively associated with patients' HRQoL (partner effects), showing that patients' HRQoL is associated with their own and their spouses' anxiety and FoP. No partner effect was revealed between depression and HRQoL in the patients or spouses. CONCLUSIONS: The resulted partner effects between spouses and patients underline the importance of considering HRQoL in patients with aPC from a dyadic perspective. It is important that physicians explore patients' and spouses' needs and psychological burden to offer support and access to psycho-oncological services. Future studies are needed to investigate the effects of suitable interventions on spouses' anxiety and FoP.

Wildfire impacts on education and healthcare: Paradise, California, after the Camp Fire.

The 2018 Camp Fire caused significant damages to the education and healthcare systems in the town of Paradise, CA. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative case study about disaster impacts and disparities, interdependencies, and recovery strategies of schools and hospitals in Paradise. Four major themes of findings emerged from the qualitative analysis of interviews with teachers, counselors, and administrators in Paradise education and healthcare systems and extensive archival research. First, complex and long-standing mental health challenges are the dominant impact on the educational system. Second, educational and healthcare impacts are shaped by social vulnerability. Third, educational and healthcare systems play a critical role for recovery of socially vulnerable groups due to the interconnectedness of community components. Fourth, adapting to new communication norms and technologies is effective for supporting educational and community recovery. Several specific recommendations are provided based on the findings for building back more resilient and equitable education and healthcare services.

Cascading loss and loss risk multipliers amid a changing climate in the Pacific Islands.

Human society has experienced, and will continue to experience, extensive loss and damage from worsening anthropogenic climate change. Despite our natural tendencies to categorise and organise, it can be unhelpful to delineate clean boundaries and linear understandings for complex and messy concepts such as loss and damage. Drawing on the perspectives of 42 local and regional Pacific Islander stakeholders, an underexplored resource for understanding loss and damage, we explore the complexity and interconnectedness of non-economic loss and damage (NELD). According to participants, Pacific Islander worldviews, knowledge systems and cosmologies often make it difficult to separate and evaluate NELD independently, challenging the nomenclature of NELD categories developed through international mechanisms. Instead, NELD understandings are often centred on the interdependencies between losses, including the cascading flow-on effects that can occur and the nature of some losses as risk multipliers (i.e. one loss creating the risk for further losses). Most notably, losses to biodiversity, ecosystem services and land are critically linked to, and have cascading effects on, livelihoods, knowledge, ways of life, wellbeing, and culture and heritage. We argue that loss and damage is not always absolute, and that there are NELD that are arguably reparable. Concerning, however, is that biodiversity loss, as a risk multiplier, was considered the least reparable by participants. We put forward that NELD understandings must consider interconnectivity, and that biodiversity and ecosystem conservation and restoration must be the focus for interventions to prevent irreparable and cascading losses from climate change in the Pacific Islands.

Social character, interdependence, and the dualities of other-directedness.

David Riesman's exploration of the other-directed characterological form, suited to corporate capitalism and the rise of the service sector, became one of the most influential sociological analyses of the twentieth century. Yet sociologists interested in the contemporary fate of those dispositional qualities suited to mutual adjustment confront a paradox: why, in an age of increasing interdependencies apparently conducive to the sustenance of other-directedness, are we witnessing rising concerns about the resurgence of social sectarianism? Most accounts of this tension rely upon structuralist explanations of late modernity's disruptive impact, or psychologistic accounts of group allegiance. In contrast, we develop a meso-level analysis that highlights an increasingly consequential duality at the heart of other-directedness itself: the qualities associated with this characterological form still facilitate selective forms of mutuality, but the demands it places upon people in the current era have also prompted growing levels of resentment and antagonism.

Care homes, their communities, and resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic: interim findings from a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: From late February 2020, English care homes rapidly adapted their practices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to accommodating new guidelines and policies, staff had to adjust to rapid reconfiguration of services external to the home that they would normally depend upon for support. This study examined the complex interdependencies of support as staff responded to COVID-19. The aim was to inform more effective responses to the ongoing pandemic, and to improve understanding of how to work with care home staff and organisations after the pandemic has passed. METHODS: Ten managers of registered care homes in the East Midlands of England were interviewed by videoconference or phone about their experiences of the crisis from a structured organisational perspective. Analysis used an adapted organisational framework analysis approach with a focus on social ties and interdependencies between organisations and individuals. RESULTS: Three key groups of interdependencies were identified: care processes and practice; resources; and governance. Care home staff had to deliver care in innovative ways, making high stakes decisions in circumstances defined by: fluid ties to organisations outside the care home; multiple, sometimes conflicting, sources of expertise and information; and a sense of deprioritisation by authorities. Organisational responses to the pandemic by central government resulted in resource constraints and additional work, and sometimes impaired the ability of staff and managers to make decisions. Local communities, including businesses, third-sector organisations and individuals, were key in helping care homes overcome challenges. Care homes, rather than competing, were found to work together to provide mutual support. Resilience in the system was a consequence of dedicated and resourceful staff using existing local networks, or forging new ones, to overcome barriers to care. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified how interdependency between care home organisations, the surrounding community, and key statutory and non-statutory organisations beyond their locality, shaped decision making and care delivery during the pandemic. Recognising these interdependencies, and the expertise shown by care home managers and staff as they navigate them, is key to providing effective healthcare in care homes as the pandemic progresses, and as the sector recovers afterwards.

Effects of COVID-19 on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Global crises caused by the pandemic of COVID-19, since early 2020, can compromise the world commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This study discusses critical aspects of the global pandemic for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). More precisely, we analyze how the new circumstances created by the pandemic have affected the interdependencies between SDGs. Following a synopsis of the current literature, we focus on effects regarding SDG3 (Health & Well-Being), SDG4 (Quality Education), SDG8 (Decent Work & Economic Growth), SDG12 (Consumption & Production) and SDG13 (Climate Action). Following a qualitative research approach, we based our analysis on moderated focus group discussions (FGD). Our observations reveal a unique pattern of interconnectedness between SDGs that can be related to COVID-19 consequences. Qualitative interpretations of focus group discussions also depict, that additional spillover effects can be obstacles for achieving SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 9 (Infrastructure & Innovation) and SDG 10 (Reducing Inequalities), SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals), SDG 11 (sustainable cities). Therefore, we consider the interdependent implications and recent trends in international development related to sustainability as a useful framework in the post-pandemic recovery period.

From Awareness to Action: Accounting for Infrastructure Interdependencies in Disaster Response and Recovery Planning.

This paper highlights challenges and open questions pertaining to physical and social infrastructure system interdependencies and their implications for disaster response, recovery, and resilience planning efforts. We describe the importance of understanding interdependencies in disaster contexts and highlight limitations to existing approaches. Suggestions for understanding and addressing interdependencies focus on increasing availability of tools for assessing interdependencies and increasing stakeholder and decisionmaker uptake of infrastructure interdependency-related information in planning efforts.

Toward indicators of the performance of US Infrastructures under climate change risks.

Built infrastructures are increasingly disrupted by climate-related extreme events. Being able to monitor what climate change implies for US infrastructures is of considerable importance to all levels of decision-makers. A capacity to develop cross-cutting, widely applicable indicators for more than a dozen different kinds of infrastructure, however, is severely limited at present. The development of such indicators must be considered an ongoing activity that will require expansion and refinement. A number of recent consensus reports suggest four priorities for indicators that portray the impacts of climate change, climate-related extreme events, and other driving forces on infrastructure. These are changes in the reliability of infrastructure services and the implications for costs; changes in the resilience of infrastructures to climate and other stresses; impacts due to the interdependencies of infrastructures; and ongoing adaptation in infrastructures.