Large Quantitative Study Research Articles

Weight-based disparities in perinatal care: quantitative findings of respect, autonomy, mistreatment, and body mass index in a national Canadian survey

BackgroundQualitative studies document episodes of weight-related disrespectful care, particularly for people with high body mass index (BMI ≥ 30) and reveal implicit and explicit biases in health care providers. No large quantitative studies document the pervasiveness of weight stigma or if experiences change with increasing BMI.MethodsThe multi-stakeholder RESPCCT study team designed and distributed a cross-sectional survey on the experiences of perinatal services in all provinces and territories in Canada. From July 2020 to August 2021, participants who had a pregnancy within ten years responded to closed and open-ended questions. Chi square analysis assessed differences in mean scores derived from three patient-reported experience measures of autonomy (MADM), respect (MOR), and mistreatment (MIST). Controlling for socio-demographic factors, multivariate logistic regression analysis explored relationships between different BMI categories and respectful care.ResultsOf 4,815 Canadians who participated, 3,280 with a BMI of ≥ 18.5 completed all the questions. Pre-pregnancy BMI was significantly associated with race/ethnicity, income sufficiency, and education but not with age. Individuals with higher BMIs were more likely to experience income insufficiency, have lower levels of education, and more frequently self-identified as Indigenous or White. Those with BMI ≥ 35 exhibited notably higher odds of reduced autonomy (MADM) scores, with an unadjusted odds ratio of 1.62 and an adjusted odds ratio of 1.45 compared to individuals with a normal weight. Individuals with BMIs of 25–25.9, 30–34.9, and ≥ 35 exhibited odds of falling into the lower tercile of respect (MOR) scores of 1.34, 1.51, and 2.04, respectively (p < .01). The odds of reporting higher rates of mistreatment (top 33% MIST scores) increased as BMI increased.ConclusionsWhile socio-demographic factors like race and income play significant roles in influencing perinatal care experiences, BMI remains a critical determinant even after accounting for these variables. This study reveals pronounced disparities in the provision of respectful perinatal care to pregnant individuals with higher BMIs in Canada. Data suggest that those with higher BMIs face disrespect, discrimination, and mistreatment. Identification of implicit and explicit weight bias may give providers insight enabling them to provide more respectful care.

Pedagogical content knowledge in physical education preservice teachers in view of researching on lesson studies

PurposeResearching on lesson studies in initial training of physical education (PE) teachers in Portugal, our group is especially interested in the potential of this methodology for developing the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of future PE teachers. The purpose of the present text is to synthesize the knowledge relating to this subject.Design/methodology/approachExploratory searches in four multiple search databases were carried out, resulting in 51 records. Information about authors, year of publication, purposes, methodology and results was collected and analyzed.FindingsResults highlight the diversity of purposes. The interview is recurrent in the qualitative studies, while the questionnaire is used in all the large quantitative studies. Regarding the findings, it appears the centrality of PCK, its development potential and its measurability, the consistency of the concept and its evolutionary dynamics, as well as the constructive criticism of initial teacher training models and practices.Originality/valueTo emphasize the relationship between lesson studies and the development of PCK in initial teacher training of PE teachers.

Identification of pleiotropic and specific therapeutic targets for cardio-cerebral diseases: A large-scale proteome-wide mendelian randomization and colocalization study.

The cardiac-brain connection has been identified as the basis for multiple cardio-cerebral diseases. However, effective therapeutic targets for these diseases are still limited. Therefore, this study aimed to identify pleiotropic and specific therapeutic targets for cardio-cerebral diseases using Mendelian randomization (MR) and colocalization analyses. This study included two large protein quantitative trait loci studies with over 4,000 plasma proteins were included in the discovery and replication cohorts, respectively. We initially used MR to estimate the associations between protein and 20 cardio-cerebral diseases. Subsequently, Colocalization analysis was employed to enhance the credibility of the results. Protein target prioritization was based solely on including highly robust significant results from both the discovery and replication phases. Lastly, the Drug-Gene Interaction Database was utilized to investigate protein-gene-drug interactions further. A total of 46 target proteins for cardio-cerebral diseases were identified as robust in the discovery and replication phases by MR, comprising 7 pleiotropic therapeutic proteins and 39 specific target proteins. Followed by colocalization analysis and prioritization of evidence grades for target protein, 6 of these protein-disease pairs have achieved the highly recommended level. For instance, the PILRA protein presents a pleiotropic effect on sick sinus syndrome and Alzheimer's disease, whereas GRN exerts specific effects on the latter. APOL3, LRP4, and F11, on the other hand, have specific effects on cardiomyopathy and ischemic stroke, respectively. This study successfully identified important therapeutic targets for cardio-cerebral diseases, which benefits the development of preventive or therapeutic drugs.

Far-right reflexology: a periphery-to-centre approach for the study of the far-right

ABSTRACT To address the problem of participant access, central in the study of the far-right, scholars of far-right mobilisations navigate between a methodological rock and a hard place. Either scholars produce in-depth qualitative accounts, putting their safety and ethical commitments at risk, or scholars study far-right mobilisations from a distance and produce limited externalist accounts that centre large surveys, quantitative studies and electoral analysis at the expense of granular detail. Inspired by the medical logics of reflexology, I propose one solution to this impasse that understands the impenetrable centres of far-right networks through their peripheries. I argue that far-right network peripheries—often more accessible to scholars—share personnel, information and resources with network centres, revealing much about these often secretive central organizational nodes. I advocate for deep qualitative work on the far-right (thus avoiding externalist pitfalls) but in the peripheries of far-right networks (thus avoiding safety and ethical risks). Refocusing on far-right peripheries opens a number of analytical doors that decentre the study of electoral politics and refocus on far-right embeddedness in civil society networks.

Reliable quantification of citrate isomers and isobars with direct-infusion tandem mass spectrometry

Direct-infusion tandem mass spectrometry (DI-MS/MS) is an excellent tool for large cohort high-throughput quantitative metabolomics, MS imaging and single cell studies but incapable of discriminating isomers/isobars with similar MS spectral features. With experimental and density-functional theory (DFT) approaches, here, we comprehensively investigated the fragmentation pathways and characteristics of differential ion-mobility spectrometry (DMS) for three citrate isomers (citrate, isocitrate, glucaro-1,4-lactone) and an isobar (quinate) co-existing in biological sample such as urine. Results showed that all these compounds gave better MS spectra in negative-ion mode than positive-ion one and had numerous fragment ions under collision-induced dissociation (CID) with sequential losses of H2O and CO2. All observed fragment ions were assignable by combining experimental with DFT calculation results. A DI-DMS-MS/MS method was then developed to simultaneously quantify these four isomers/isobars with m/z 191–87 (CoV, −5.5 V), 191–73 (CoV, −3.5 V), 191–85 (CoV, −29.5 V) and m/z 191–93 (CoV, −41.5 V) for citrate, isocitrate, glucaro-1,4-lactone and quinate, respectively. The low limit-of-quantification was below 5.5 nM whilst accuracy was above 94% for all above compounds. The urinary concentrations of them in human and C57BL/6 mouse samples were further quantified showing clear inter-individual and inter-species level differences with significantly higher levels of isocitrate, glucaro-1,4-lactone and quinate in human urine samples than mouse ones. This provides an approach to understand the detailed fragmentation pathways for organic isomers/isobars and a high-throughput MS strategy to quantify them in complex mixtures for metabolomics, lipidomics, foodomics and exposomics especially when chromatographic separations are not useable.

Experiences of conflict, non-acceptance and discrimination are associated with poor mental well-being amongst LGBTQ-identified individuals in Singapore

PurposeHealth disparities affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) populations have been reported in many countries. For Singapore, no large quantitative studies on mental health and well-being in the local LGBTQ community have been published. The authors conducted a community-based survey (National LGBT Census Singapore, 2013; NLCS2013) that covered a comprehensive set of demographic, social and health indicators. Here, the authors investigated mental health status and its correlates in 2,350 LGBTQ individuals within the NLCS2013 sample.Design/methodology/approachThe NLCS2013 was an anonymous online survey conducted amongst self-identified LGBTQ adults (aged ≥ 21 years) residing in Singapore. The survey included the World Health Organisation Well-being Index (WHO-5) as a measure of mental well-being, with low WHO 5 scores (<13/25) indicating poor mental well-being. The authors analysed relationships between low WHO-5 score and a range of respondent characteristics using multivariate logistic regression.FindingsStrikingly, 40.9% of 2,350 respondents analysed had low WHO-5 scores, indicating poor mental well-being. Parental non-acceptance, experience of conflict at home and bullying/discrimination in the workplace or educational environments were all significantly associated with poor mental well-being. Conversely, community participation appeared protective for mental well-being, as respondents who participated in LGBTQ community organisations or events were less likely to have poor mental well-being than non-participants.Originality/valueThe NLCS2013 represents one of the first broad-based efforts to comprehensively and quantitatively capture the sociodemographic and health profile, including mental health status, within Singapore’s resident LGBTQ population. These findings affirm the need to address the mental health needs of LGBTQ individuals in Singapore and to foster safe spaces and allyship.

Blending Online Homework and Large Class Tutorials to Provide Learning Support for Introductory Organic Chemistry

The logistics and cost of running large class tutorials to improve learning for students in high enrolment courses raise questions about whether the associated effort and cost are worthwhile. The option to replace these class activities with online homework with its promise of built-in feedback is attractive. Using an activity theory lens and an experimental design, we compared the impact of class tutorials with online homework to support learning offered in face-to-face lectures on student performance. We found that there were no topics in the introductory organic chemistry syllabus in which students who had completed online homework instead of large class tutorials performed better. In contrast, for all topics except ‘Curved arrows in mechanisms’, the mean performance of students who had attended a large class tutorial was statistically significantly better than for those who completed online homework instead. This large quantitative study with a sample of 667 students demonstrated the advantage conferred by face-to-face tutorials with peer learning and personal feedback even in a large class setting with only three sessions per student. Our recommendation is that an online homework system in blended courses should not replace face-to-face tutorials for topics reliant on personalised instruction and feedback. We advocate for investing resources and effort to provide face-to-face problem-solving sessions in high-enrolment introductory organic chemistry courses to improve performance.

VULNERABLE LEADERS AND TEACHERS IN ENGLISH SCHOOLS IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: IMPLICATIONS FOR LEADERSHIP OF WELLBEING, RETENTION AND EQUITY

This paper explores the wellbeing of school leaders and teachers in England who assessed a specific health risk during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. It explores how this cohort, guided to physically shield, was affected in attitudes towards work and the extent to which leadership behaviours supported a positive and perhaps ‘thriving’ physical return in a post-Covid-19 environment for effective schools and staff retention.Educational systems worldwide have become a high-stakes accountability landscape, with leaders questioning how they can lead with integrity. Staff wellbeing has moved up the agenda in England, forming part of England’s inspection framework, with one criterion being that staff consistently report high levels of support for wellbeing issues (Ofsted, 2019).Insufficient numbers of teachers, with an early exit of novices, is a particularly negative structural feature of the English school system (OECD 2017). A large scale quantitative study indicates that teacher retention is crucial to meet rising pupil numbers (Worth and van den Brande 2020). In the same study, unmanageable workloads and low job satisfaction are cited as significant factors determining teachers’ retention decisions and where teacher autonomy is strongly related to the extent to which teachers regard their workload as manageable (ibid).The study is as concerned with leadership capability as the wellbeing and retention of staff and decision-making driving processes. It is in the development of leaders faced with extraordinary stresses that researchers can understand where gaps lie in leadership development and organisational structure and culture and how these gaps might be strategically addressed. The empirical research on which the paper is based explores some facets for leading effectively in extraordinary circumstances. The paper presents findings on how external structural government directives have challenged schools in carrying out their instructions, amplifying inequality.

ST2 and CSF-1 as potential druggable targets of inflammatory bowel diseases: Results from two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Novel druggable targets are warranted for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment. We aimed to identify novel circulating proteins with causal associations with the risk of IBDs and provide potential therapeutic targets for IBD treatment. We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study to explore the associations of 55 circulating biomarkers on the risk of IBD, Crohn's disease (CD), and ulcerative colitis (UC) by leveraging the summary statistics from large genomewide association studies and protein quantitative trait loci studies. The individual estimate was pooled together by meta-analyses to estimate the causal effects of each outcome. In univariable MR, we identified several circulating proteins showed potential correlation with IBD, UC, and CD. Of note, we observed that a genetically proxied increased level of suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2) was associated with an elevated risk of IBD (odds ratios [ORs] 1.133, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.091-1.176, p < 0.0001), CD (ORs 1.188, 95% CI 1.103-1.281, p < 0.0001), and UC cohorts (ORs 1.087, 95% CI 1.050-1.125, p < 0.0001). Additionally, we observed a consistent positive correlation between the level of CSF-1 and the increased risk of IBD in individual MR, with statistically significant causal associations in the meta-analyses with ORs equal to 1.217 (IBD, 95% CI 1.115-1.328, p < 0.0001), 1.223 (CD, 95% CI 1.082-1.382, p=0.0013), and 1.179 (UC, 95% CI 1.055-1.317, p=0.0037). This study provided evidence for potential casual associations between circulating ST2 and CSF-1 levels, and increased risks of IBD, UC, and CD, implicating potential treatment targets for IBD and subtypes.

Quantification of human embryonic ζ-globin chains in Southeast Asian deletion (--SEA) carriers

AimsReactivation of embryonic ζ-globin is a promising strategy for genetic treatment of α-thalassaemia. However, quantification of ζ-globin as a quantitative trait in α-thalassaemia carriers and patients remains incompletely understood. In...

A comparison of children's play and non-play behavior before and after schoolyard greening monitored by video observations

This paper investigates the impact of greening schoolyards on children’s (age 7-11) play and non-play behavior during recess. Five primary schools in The Netherlands took part in a longitudinal prospective intervention study using a pre-post design with a baseline and two-year follow-up. At baseline, all schoolyards were paved. Between baseline and follow-up all schools greened their schoolyards. During recess at baseline and follow-up, the play behavior of children in grades 4, 5 and 6 in different target areas was videotaped with multiple cameras and afterwards coded using the cognitive play categories and non-play categories of the Play Observation Scale (Rubin, 2001). Video recordings of 352 children at baseline, and 325 children in 66 target areas at follow-up, were divided in equal time frames of 30 seconds. Each child’s behavior was coded at the 30th second of the time frame, yielding a dataset of 17046 observations. Results show an increase in observed play, as compared to non-play, behavior, after greening. Furthermore, there was an increase in games-with-rules, a small increase in constructive and explorative play behavior, and a decrease in passive non-play behaviors. This impact of greening was stronger for girls compared to boys. These findings strengthen the empirical basis for greening schoolyards by providing data from a large scale quantitative study with a controlled, longitudinal pre-post design.

The role of ERP in business model innovation: Impetus or impediment

PurposeThis research explores the moderating role of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in (Business Model (BM) innovation by comparing two groups of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) that are still in the process of considering adoption of ERP or already have implemented ERP. In particular, the aim is to see whether ERP enables or hampers the relationship between BM experimentation, i.e. the process of BM innovation, and BM performance. An important mediator, with a focus on downstream value delivery and creation, is the novelty of the BM in question. Design/methodology/approachThis research is based on a large quantitative study among Spanish firms that are engaged in BM innovation activities and in different phases of implementing ERP. A representative sample of 208 Spanish firms engaged in Business Model Innovation from different sectors was used to collect data, which was analysed using heterotrait-monotrait (HTMT) for scaling and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) for model testing. FindingsQuantitative findings show that there is a direct positive impact of BM experimentation on BM performance for firms that did not implement an ERP, while downstream novelty leads to improved value capture due to increased efficiency and the associated cost reduction. By contrast, firms with ERP show a better performance, depending on the degree of the downstream novelty of the BM. Originality/valueThere is no previous research exploring the moderating role of ERP in BM Innovation for SMEs. This is the first study to examine whether BM experimentation affects BM performance and value capturing, as mediated by BM novelty and moderated by implementation by ERP.

Vegetable intake determinants in disadvantaged adolescents: systematic review of qualitative studies

Abstract Background Evidence available on the determinants of vegetable intake in young populations is inconsistent. No review has particularly focused on this topic in disadvantaged adolescents. This systematic review aimed to investigate the determinants of vegetable intake in disadvantaged adolescents reported in qualitative studies. Methods Five electronic databases were searched until October 2020 using combinations of synonyms for vegetable intake, adolescents, and qualitative methodologies. Studies published in peer-reviewed journals were included if they used qualitative methods (e.g., interviews, focus groups, etc.), targeted disadvantaged individuals aged 12-18 years, investigated determinants, motivators and barriers to vegetable intake, and were conducted in urban settings of high-income countries. Two reviewers independently and systematically summarized the papers, assessed their quality and synthesized the findings across studies. Results Sixteen studies meeting the inclusion criteria were included. The synthesis of findings identified the following determinants for vegetable intake: sensory attributes of vegetables; psychosocial factors (nutrition knowledge, preferences/liking, self-efficacy, motivation); lifestyle factors (cost/price, time, convenience); fast food properties (taste, cost, satiety); home environment; parental influence; encouragement/support outside the household; friends' influence; school nutrition education; teachers' support; school food environment; local produce; community nutrition knowledge; and availability and accessibility of vegetables in local stores, restaurants and fast-food outlets. Conclusions Multiple determinants of vegetable intake were identified which complement those investigated in quantitative studies. Future large scale quantitative studies should attempt to examine the relative importance of these determinants in order to guide the development of successful interventions in disadvantaged adolescents. Key messages Vegetable intake is influenced by multiple factors in disadvantaged adolescents. Main determinants are vegetable attributes, personal factors, friends, family, school and community environment.

Reading the Minds of Young People for Their Own Good – The Ethics of Digital Phenotyping for Mental Health in Schools

"Across the globe the phenomenon of digital phenotyping – the collection and analysis of digital data for mental health – is growing increasingly popular within the education sector. Schools enter collaborations with health care providers, often with the aim to support young people and to reduce the risk for severe mental health challenges, self-harm, and suicide. In developing technologies for these purposes, algorithms and artificial intelligence (broadly construed) could be utilized to provide as rich and accurate data as possible. The data can then be used to flag up at-risk individuals within the system. Despite the increasing interest in digital mental health tools in many educational systems, there has been remarkably little written about the ethical issues that accompany the emergence of digital phenotyping. Arguably more alarming is that almost no research has been conducted on the acceptability and ethics of these technologies in stakeholder populations: we have not asked young people about their values in this context. In this paper, we present results from a large quantitative study from the UK, showing what young people value and choose in scenarios involving digital phenotyping in schools. We highlight clear discrepancies between what young people value – and how they conceptualize those values – and how the literature describes the ethical implications of related technologies in schools. We argue that policymakers and ethicists urgently need to learn to recognize and respect the moral boundaries of young people. "

Political dimensions of gender inclusive writing in Parisian universities.

Écriture inclusive (EI) has long been the topic of public debates in France. These debates have become more intense in recent years, often focusing on the higher education system and culminating in the formulation of three separate laws banning it for public administration. In this paper, we investigate the foundations of these conflicts through a large quantitative corpus study of the (non)use of EI in Parisian undergraduate brochures. Our results suggest that Parisian university professors use EI not only to ensure gender neutral reference but also as a tool to construct their political identities. We show that both the use of EI and its particular forms are conditioned by how brochure writers position themselves on non gender‐related‐related issues within the French university's political landscape, which explains how conflicts surrounding a linguistic practice have become understood as conflicts about larger issues in French society. Our paper thus provides new information to be taken into account in the formulation and promotion of nonsexist language policies and sheds light on how feminist linguistic activism and its opposition are deeply intertwined with other kinds of social activism in present‐day France.

Talking Back to the Research: Indigenous Wellbeing and Resilience Narratives from Urban Australia

ABSTRACT Resilience is instrumental in understanding the wellbeing of Indigenous peoples in colonised countries. Investigator-driven, quantitative descriptive studies can limit capacity for Indigenous people to “talk back” to the research process with their own perspectives of wellbeing and resilience. A Human Development and Capabilities approach can elicit self-determining definitions of wellbeing. This study presents findings from qualitative life history interviews of the self-defined health trajectories from a group of 11 Indigenous adults living in an Australian urban setting. In contrast to the prevailing deficit discourse, interviewees spoke about their strength and resilience. Common areas of health and wellbeing discussion such as socioeconomic disadvantage, family dysfunction, stress, problematic alcohol use and mental illness became transformed into narratives of never being without, the opportunity for upwards social mobility, the importance of family as positive role models and social support, abstinence, learning from past experiences and coping through challenges. Historical context, intergenerational trauma and racism impact wellbeing, yet are often not measured in large quantitative studies. Findings support affirmative action initiatives to reduce socioeconomic disadvantage to improve wellbeing. Narrative-based capability approaches provide contextualisation to how Indigenous people navigate through significant life events to maintain wellbeing.

Measuring the Effects of Automatic Replenishment on Product Availability in Retail Stores

Maintaining product availability is one of the biggest challenges in retail business because it directly relates to lost sale and decrease in customer loyalty. A solution that ensures a more accurate prediction and eliminates costly stock-outs and wasteful overstocks is an automatic replenishment system. The goal of this paper is to measure the impact that the automatic replenishment system can have on product availability in retail business, especially when it comes to specific product and store related risk factors. A large quantitative study measured the performance of manual and automatic replenishment processes in a sample of 85 stores and 95 products of a major retail chain in Serbia. The study concluded that utilization of an automatic replenishment system can reduce stock-outs for the retail chains up to 60%. Specifically, when ordered through an automatic replenishment system, fast-selling products recorded 40% greater availability, products on promotion 48% higher availability, and products in a high-density retail stores 59% higher availability. The findings extend current understanding of automatic replenishment systems, and especially their performance related to high-risk retail conditions.

Understanding consumer-based brand equity and its antecedents in international and national banks in Egypt

ABSTRACT The ongoing transformation of branding in developing countries remains under-researched despite its central importance to competitive advantage. The Egyptian banking sector is a prime example: it depends largely on brand equity, but current strategies may not have equal effects in national and international banks. This research therefore quantitively confirms the direction of causality from brand loyalty to brand equity, before conducting a large quantitative study with 622 valid responses, examining consumer-based brand equity in the banking sector. The study’s use of Aaker’s model is especially significant as the model’s complex application in developing countries is not fully understood. The results show that brand loyalty positively mediates the effects of brand awareness, brand associations, and perceived quality on overall brand equity, as well as having a direct effect on overall brand equity; and suggest that Egyptian customers access quality signals more from international brands than from national brands. This study therefore sheds important light on how brand equity operates in the Middle East and North Africa banking sector, and extends the use of Aaker’s model, offering new insights to bank managers on building and maintaining brand equity.

Twitter as a Language Learning Tool

Studies into the use of Twitter for language learning have mostly been small-scale evaluations undertaken by teachers researching the effectiveness of their own initiatives to use it with their students. To date, there has not been a large quantitative study of how language learners use Twitter autonomously. This paper reports on a large-scale study (n=370) of language learners who use Twitter. It provides a participant profile, their practices, and beliefs about how helpful Twitter is as a tool for language learning. The results provide the first profile of the autonomous user of Twitter as a language learning tool, show very positive attitudes towards the use of Twitter, and provide evidence that learners learn new vocabulary and culturally-relevant information about the areas where the target language is spoken. Many learners engage in production of target language output and make the most of the opportunities Twitter presents to be exposed to target language input and interaction with native speakers, making Twitter a useful tool for their autonomous language learning development.

Retrospective Quantitative Genetic Analysis and Genomic Prediction of Global Wheat Yields.

Breeding for grain yield (GY) in bread wheat at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) involves three-stage testing at Obregon, Mexico in different selection environments (SEs). To understand the efficiency of selection in the SEs, we performed a large retrospective quantitative genetics study using CIMMYT’s yield trials evaluated in the SEs (2013–2014 to 2017–2018), the South Asia Bread Wheat Genomic Prediction Yield Trials (SABWGPYTs) evaluated in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh (2014–2015 to 2017–2018), and the Elite Spring Wheat Yield Trials (ESWYTs) evaluated in several sites globally (2003–2004 to 2016–2017). First, we compared the narrow-sense heritabilities in the Obregon SEs and target sites and observed that the mean heritability in the SEs was 44.2 and 92.3% higher than the mean heritabilities in the SABWGPYT and ESWYT sites, respectively. Second, we observed significant genetic correlations between a SE in Obregon and all the five SABWGPYT sites and 65.1% of the ESWYT sites. Third, we observed high ratios of response to indirect selection in the SEs of Obregon with a mean of 0.80 ± 0.21 and 2.6 ± 5.4 in the SABWGPYT and ESWYT sites, respectively. Furthermore, our results also indicated that for all the SABWGPYT sites and 82% of the ESWYT sites, a response greater than 0.5 can be achieved by indirect selection for GY in Obregon. We also performed genomic prediction for GY in the target sites using the performance of the same lines in the SEs of Obregon and observed moderate mean prediction accuracies of 0.24 ± 0.08 and 0.28 ± 0.08 in the SABWGPYT and ESWYT sites, respectively using the genotype x environment (GxE) model. However, we observed similar accuracies using the baseline model with environment and line effects and no advantage of modeling GxE interactions. Overall, this study provides important insights into the suitability of the Obregon SEs in breeding for GY, while the variable genomic predictabilities of GY and the high year-to-year GY fluctuations reported, highlight the importance of multi-environment testing across time and space to stave off GxE induced uncertainties in varietal yields.