| 21. |
- Göçer, Aysu, et al.
(author)
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Supply chain sustainability, risk and transformational tension: a systems perspective
- 2024
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In: International Journal of Logistics Management. - 0957-4093 .- 1758-6550. ; In Press
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: Sustainability continues to be put forth as a strategic priority. However, sustainability efforts are often deemphasized for short-term profitability. This study explores the nuances in managerial decision-making related to adopting sustainability initiatives within food supply chains in an emerging economy. We identify a complex interaction between sustainability efforts and risk mitigation. We derive a model to explain conflicting company goals, managerial decisions and system design. Design/methodology/approach: We followed an exploratory research design with an inductive approach. We analyzed data from semi-structured interviews with 29 companies representing different tiers in Turkish food supply chains. We refined and validated the interview findings through a focus group with nine senior managers. We conducted open, focused and theoretical coding in an iterative and reflective manner to analyze the data and derive our results. Findings: From the data, three themes emerged, indicating that managers are pursuing different, often conflicting, goals concerning value creation, risk management and sustainability performance. Managers identified and commented on new risks brought on by sustainability initiatives. These sustainability-induced risks were seen as a threat to operational performance, a driver of increased costs and a negative impact on product quality and delivery performance. Trade-offs across operating, sustainability and risk management systems create transformational tension that confounds the sustainability adoption decision-making process. Originality/value: The data from the study was contrasted with a theoretical framework derived from systems theory, goal-setting theory of motivation and the theory of planned behavior. We identified four distinct decision paths that managers pursue. Increased awareness of transformational tension and how it influences managerial decision-making can enhance strategic sustainability system design and initiative success.
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| 22. |
- Koptekin, Dilek, et al.
(author)
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Spatial and temporal heterogeneity in human mobility patterns in Holocene Southwest Asia and the East Mediterranean
- 2023
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In: Current Biology. - : Cell Press. - 0960-9822 .- 1879-0445. ; 33:1, s. 41-57
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present a spatiotemporal picture of human genetic diversity in Anatolia, Iran, Levant, South Caucasus, and the Aegean, a broad region that experienced the earliest Neolithic transition and the emergence of com-plex hierarchical societies. Combining 35 new ancient shotgun genomes with 382 ancient and 23 present-day published genomes, we found that genetic diversity within each region steadily increased through the Holo-cene. We further observed that the inferred sources of gene flow shifted in time. In the first half of the Holo-cene, Southwest Asian and the East Mediterranean populations homogenized among themselves. Starting with the Bronze Age, however, regional populations diverged from each other, most likely driven by gene flow from external sources, which we term "the expanding mobility model."Interestingly, this increase in in-ter-regional divergence can be captured by outgroup-f3-based genetic distances, but not by the commonly used FST statistic, due to the sensitivity of FST, but not outgroup-f3, to within-population diversity. Finally, we report a temporal trend of increasing male bias in admixture events through the Holocene.
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| 23. |
- Larsson, Martin N. A., et al.
(author)
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Ancient Sheep Genomes Reveal Four Millennia of North European Short-Tailed Sheep in the Baltic Sea Region
- 2024
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In: Genome Biology and Evolution. - : Oxford University Press. - 1759-6653. ; 16:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sheep are among the earliest domesticated livestock species, with a wide variety of breeds present today. However, it remains unclear how far back this diversity goes, with formal documentation only dating back a few centuries. North European short-tailed (NEST) breeds are often assumed to be among the oldest domestic sheep populations, even thought to represent relicts of the earliest sheep expansions during the Neolithic period reaching Scandinavia <6,000 years ago. This study sequenced the genomes (up to 11.6X) of five sheep remains from the Baltic islands of Gotland and Åland, dating from the Late Neolithic (∼4,100 cal BP) to historical times (∼1,600 CE). Our findings indicate that these ancient sheep largely possessed the genetic characteristics of modern NEST breeds, suggesting a substantial degree of long-term continuity of this sheep type in the Baltic Sea region. Despite the wide temporal spread, population genetic analyses show high levels of affinity between the ancient genomes and they also exhibit relatively high genetic diversity when compared to modern NEST breeds, implying a loss of diversity in most breeds during the last centuries associated with breed formation and recent bottlenecks. Our results shed light on the development of breeds in Northern Europe specifically as well as the development of genetic diversity in sheep breeds, and their expansion from the domestication center in general.
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| 24. |
- Vural, A, et al.
(author)
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Gαi2 Signaling Regulates Inflammasome Priming and Cytokine Production by Biasing Macrophage Phenotype Determination
- 2019
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In: Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950). - : The American Association of Immunologists. - 1550-6606 .- 0022-1767. ; 202:5, s. 1510-1520
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Macrophages exist as innate immune subsets that exhibit phenotypic heterogeneity and functional plasticity. Their phenotypes are dictated by inputs from the tissue microenvironment. G-protein–coupled receptors are essential in transducing signals from the microenvironment, and heterotrimeric Gα signaling links these receptors to downstream effectors. Several Gαi-coupled G-protein–coupled receptors have been implicated in macrophage polarization. In this study, we use genetically modified mice to investigate the role of Gαi2 on inflammasome activity and macrophage polarization. We report that Gαi2 in murine bone marrow–derived macrophages (BMDMs) regulates IL-1β release after activation of the NLRP3, AIM2, and NLRC4 inflammasomes. We show this regulation stems from the biased polarity of Gαi2 deficient (Gnai2−/−) and RGS-insensitive Gαi2 (Gnai2G184S/G184S) BMDMs. We determined that although Gnai2G184S/G184S BMDMs (excess Gαi2 signaling) have a tendency toward classically activated proinflammatory (M1) phenotype, Gnai2−/− BMDMs (Gαi2 deficient) are biased toward alternatively activated anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotype. Finally, we find that Gαi2-deficient macrophages have increased Akt activation and IFN-β production but defects in ERK1/2 and STAT3 activation after LPS stimulation. Gαi2-deficient macrophages also exhibit increased STAT6 activation after IL-4 stimulation. In summary, our data indicates that excess Gαi2 signaling promotes an M1 macrophage phenotype, whereas Gαi2 signaling deficiency promotes an M2 phenotype. Understanding Gαi2-mediated effects on macrophage polarization may bring to light insights regarding disease pathogenesis and the reprogramming of macrophages for the development of novel therapeutics.
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| 25. |
- Yurtman, Erinç, et al.
(author)
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Archaeogenetic analysis of Neolithic sheep from Anatolia suggests a complex demographic history since domestication
- 2021
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In: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 4:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sheep were among the first domesticated animals, but their demographic history is little understood. Here we analyzed nuclear polymorphism and mitochondrial data (mtDNA) from ancient central and west Anatolian sheep dating from Epipaleolithic to late Neolithic, comparatively with modern-day breeds and central Asian Neolithic/Bronze Age sheep (OBI). Analyzing ancient nuclear data, we found that Anatolian Neolithic sheep (ANS) are genetically closest to present-day European breeds relative to Asian breeds, a conclusion supported by mtDNA haplogroup frequencies. In contrast, OBI showed higher genetic affinity to present-day Asian breeds. These results suggest that the east-west genetic structure observed in present-day breeds had already emerged by 6000 BCE, hinting at multiple sheep domestication episodes or early wild introgression in southwest Asia. Furthermore, we found that ANS are genetically distinct from all modern breeds. Our results suggest that European and Anatolian domestic sheep gene pools have been strongly remolded since the Neolithic.
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