bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Statistical-based simulation and reflow profile optimization for improving self-alignment performance − an experimental study
Authors: Zhang Zhenxuan , Kim Jaewoo , Won Daehan
Published: January 2025

Purpose

There are three major processes in the surface mounting technology (SMT) manufacturing line, namely, printing, mounting and reflowing. During the reflow process, the printed solder pastes are melted into liquid and cooled down into solid again, forming the solder joint. During this process, because of the combined force of the liquid solder, the components will move from the placed location to the final location. This is known as the self-alignment performance in the reflow process. From the comparable studies, it is known that the reflow process with a longer time above the liquidus (TAL) results in better self-alignment performance, as well as higher peak temperatures of the reflow profiles. The TAL and the peak temperatures are influenced by multiple factors, but the experimental designs from the comparable studies kept the same ramping and cooling slopes to modify the TAL and the peak temperature. The purpose of this study is to study on the multiple factors influencing the TAL and the peak temperatures (ramping slope, cooling slope and peak temperature) by conducting designed experiments for each of the factors.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the TAL-influencing features are studied independently, including ramping slope, cooling slope and peak temperature; designed and conducted an experiment to reveal the relationship between the self-alignment and each of the three features; the statistical-based model for the combination of the three features for optimal self-alignment performance; and proposed a statistical-based simulation model for the offset after reflow.

Findings

The authors conducted a case study validating the mounter optimization model previously proposed. As a result, the optimized reflow profile improved the self-alignment performance by at least 10%, and the simulation within the error of 15 µm.

Research limitations/implications

This research is statistical-based, which is limited to component types and sizes used in the design of experiments (DOE). The model proposed in this study can suggest a new reflow profile that can increase the self-alignment performance, which is critical to the solder joint quality, especially long-term quality.

Practical implications

This study can suggest a new reflow profile that can increase the self-alignment performance, which is critical to the solder joint quality, especially long-term quality.

Social implications

This study can suggest a new reflow profile that can increase the self-alignment performance, which is critical to the solder joint quality, especially long-term quality.

Originality/value

The proposed statistical-based soldering reflow target profile optimization model offers a novel and practical approach. The soldering profile provided by the manufacturer contains recommended and acceptable ranges in the critical features. This study provides the optimal setting within the ranges.
Neighbourhood Effects Across Generations and the Reproduction of Inequality
Authors: Silva Laura
Published: January 2025

This paper analyses the enduring impact of neighbourhood deprivation on youth development, exploring multigenerational aspects often overlooked in existing research. I investigate how neighbourhood environments experienced across two generations impact youth outcomes, focussing on cognitive skills and socio‐emotional behaviour. Using data from the 1958 National Child Development Study in the UK, this study employs a Regression with Residuals (RWR) design to comprehensively assess any long‐lasting effects. The results point to an enduring impact of neighbourhood deprivation on both outcomes, revealing that sustained exposure to disadvantage drives persistently different developmental trajectories. I find evidence for a transmission mechanism, indicating that exposure to neighbourhood deprivation during parental own formative years affects their offspring's outcomes, directly and indirectly. While parental formative neighbourhood environments significantly shape cognitive development through mechanisms related to education and income, socio‐emotional outcomes are also influenced by the legacy of neighbourhood context across generations. While conventional approaches focus on a single point in time, this study contributes to neighbourhood effects literature by taking a lengthier perspective and acknowledging the protracted and influential role that neighbourhoods as social institutions may play in shaping individual opportunities and inequality dynamics over time.
“Why Do We Have to be Almost Dead to Qualify for Help?”: Criminal Legal and Protection System Responses to Intimate Partner Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada
Authors: Kaye Julie , Glecia Alana
Published: January 2025

Analyzing 30 one‐on‐one qualitative interviews with Indigenous women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), this article provides a critical examination of responses to IPV by criminal legal and related systems of intervention, such as child and family services. More specifically, the article analyzes the voiced experiences of Indigenous women who sought support from systems designed to address IPV and gendered and sexualized violence. Grounded in Indigenous feminist thought and theories of settler colonial gendered violence, the study reveals that in the context of ongoing settler colonial gendered violence, Indigenous women survivors of IPV victimization in Canada were overwhelmingly met with revictimization and violence by the systems tasked with anti‐violence intervention. The article considers decolonial approaches to responding to IPV against Indigenous women that foreground the strength and sovereignty of Indigenous women.
The Object Not of One's Desire: UK Service Club Membership Recruitment, Retention, and Public Image
Authors: Yates David
Published: January 2025

Membership organizations rely on maintaining and growing their membership base, both for financial stability and to allow them to increase their impact. UK service clubs are one such kind of membership organization that has suffered a decline in membership in more recent years and is seeking to address this to maintain their presence. However, membership recruitment and retention have proven problematic for these organizations, in particular, recruitment and retention of younger members to ensure the continuity of the organization. This paper utilizes a theoretical framework based on the work of French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan and contemporary philosopher Slavoj Zizek, in order to conceptualize the issues around membership and public image within the theoretical constructs of identity, ideology, and desire. This is combined with a qualitative methodological framework utilizing 42 semistructured interviews with service club members and external stakeholders (donors, beneficiaries, and local government representatives). The results of this research found that although current members profess to desire younger members to join, they are reluctant to change their organization to facilitate this. Instead, icons and rituals combine to form an image of the organization that is unappealing to younger prospective members, relegating their desire to join to an almost purely symbolic act. This, therefore, carries implications for service clubs and their membership, especially when considering the level of engagement that potential younger members would be prepared to offer in the future. The strong ideological forces at play within service clubs mean that they will continue to appeal to a relatively narrow membership profile (one that sees their current operation aligned to an organizational “ego ideal” that is symbolically constructed and maintained).
TNFAIP3‐interacting protein 1 (ABIN‐1) negatively regulates caspase‐8/FADD‐dependent pyroptosis
Authors: Li Xueyi , Wang Daoyong , Su Zhenyi , Mao Xiaohua
Published: January 2025

TNFAIP3‐interacting protein 1 (TNIP1; also known as ABIN‐1) is a ubiquitin‐binding protein that suppresses death‐receptor‐ or Toll‐like receptor‐mediated apoptosis and necroptosis; however, it remains unclear whether ABIN‐1 is capable of regulating pyroptosis. In the present study, we found that, in mouse embryonic fibroblasts and macrophages, ABIN‐1 deficiency sensitized cells to poly(I:C) + TAK1 inhibitor 5Z‐7‐oxozeaenol‐induced pyroptosis besides apoptosis and necroptosis. The sensitizing effect of ABIN‐1 deficiency on pyroptosis depended on caspase‐8 and its adaptor molecule FAS‐associated death domain protein. In a mouse model of polymicrobial sepsis, myeloid‐specific deletion of Abin‐1 rendered mice more sensitive to pyroptosis, apoptosis and necroptosis, and exacerbated disease severity. Interestingly, ABIN‐1 deficiency triggered gasdermin‐E‐mediated pyroptosis in mouse embryonic fibroblasts, but induced gasdermin‐D‐mediated pyroptosis in macrophages, both in a caspase‐8‐dependent manner. Furthermore, we demonstrated that, upon poly(I:C) + 5Z‐7‐oxozeaenol stimulation, ABIN‐1 deficiency facilitates FAS‐associated death domain protein recruitment to caspase‐8; thus, the mechanism by which ABIN‐1 downregulates caspase‐8 activity is conserved in tumor necrosis factor receptor type 1 and Toll‐like receptor 3 signaling‐induced cell death. Together, our work identifies a previously unrecognized role for ABIN‐1 as a negative regulator of pyroptosis in addition to apoptosis and necroptosis, suggesting that ABIN‐1 represents a promising molecule to halt or reverse progression of refractory inflammatory disorders whose pathogenesis involves multiple forms of programmed cell death.
Contrasting Effects of Increasing Invasive Crayfish Densities on Competing Submerged Macrophytes in Shallow Lakes
Authors: Li Lei , Hilt Sabine , Ding Mingming
Published: January 2025

Non‐native crayfish are among the most widespread aquatic invasive species worldwide. High densities of crayfish in lakes can potentially cause complete loss of macrophytes through herbivory, physical destruction, shading by suspension of sediments and nutrient release facilitating phytoplankton, thus altering ecosystem state and functions. However, lower crayfish densities may affect different macrophyte species in different ways, thus altering competition between macrophyte species with different growth forms. We hypothesize that high crayfish densities can completely destroy submerged macrophyte communities and shift systems into more turbid conditions whereas low crayfish densities can promote low‐growing macrophytes that compete with canopy‐forming species.

To test these hypotheses, we applied three different densities (2, 4, 8 crayfish m−2) of the invasive crayfish Procambarus clarkii and a control (no crayfish) to 36 mesocosms of monocultures and mixed stands of low‐growing and canopy‐forming submerged macrophytes for 60 days. We measured concentrations of nutrients, suspended solids, phytoplankton and periphyton and above‐ and belowground biomass of low‐growing Vallisneria natans and canopy‐forming Hydrilla verticillata.

In addition, we conducted a meta‐analysis of crayfish impacts on macrophytes to compare effect sizes between different crayfish densities. Using data from published studies, we derived the relationship between crayfish density and crayfish‐induced reductions in macrophyte abundance.

Our meta‐analysis revealed a significant decline of macrophytes with increasing crayfish densities. In line with existing studies, high crayfish densities caused a strong loss of both low‐growing and canopy‐forming macrophytes and increased nutrient concentrations, phytoplankton biomass and suspended sediment, thus favouring an ecosystem shift to more turbid conditions. Low and medium crayfish densities reduced macrophyte biomass similarly for both species in monocultures. However, in mixed cultures, low crayfish densities (2 crayfish m−2) reduced the above‐ and belowground biomass of the canopy‐forming H. verticillata more than that of low‐growing V. natans, supporting our hypothesis. This support of low‐growing macrophytes occurred despite a temporal facilitation of shading by increased periphyton biomass.

Our results show that the impact of crayfish invasions on aquatic ecosystems is strongly dependent on their density. High densities facilitate the loss of macrophytes and increase the likelihood of ecosystem collapse into a turbid state. However, low densities can provide a competitive advantage to low‐growing macrophytes that would otherwise be outcompeted by canopy‐forming species. Although complete eradication is often impossible, management of invasive crayfish can target densities that have potentially positive effects on invaded ecosystems.
Urinary odor molecules in the Otassha Study can distinguish patients with sarcopenia: A pilot study
Authors: Oka Takuya , Fujita Akiko , Kawai Hisashi , Obuchi Shuichi P , Sasai Hiroyuki , Hirano Hirohiko , Ihara Kazushige , Fujiwara Yoshinori , Tanaka Masashi , Kato Keiko
Published: January 2025

Aim

To identify sarcopenia markers in urinary odor.

Methods

We performed solid‐phase microextraction from the headspace and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of urinary volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in 71 healthy individuals and 68 patients diagnosed with sarcopenia according to the Asian Working Group on Sarcopenia 2019 criteria. The mass‐to‐charge ratios (m/z) of 10 VOCs with a significant difference in the total ion chromatogram of 220 VOCs detected in this study were compared by U‐test. To calculate the predictive values for sarcopenia, binomial logistic regression analyses were conducted with sarcopenia (0, 1) as the dependent variable and the m/z values of each of the 10 VOCs and all 10 VOCs as independent variables. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for predictive values were generated to evaluate diagnostic accuracy. The correlations between the predictive value and handgrip strength, usual gait speed, and skeletal muscle mass were assessed using Pearson's r.

Results

We identified 10 VOCs (p‐xylene, 1‐butanol, d‐limonene, nonanal, pyrrole, γ‐butyrolactone, texanol isomer, octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, and diisobutyl phthalate) as candidate biomarkers in urine. The ROC curve analysis showed high diagnostic accuracy of the predictive values of the 10 VOCs for sarcopenia (area under the curve = 0.866, 95% confidence interval: 0.829–0.942; sensitivity, 80.9%; specificity, 81.7%). Additionally, the predictive values significantly correlated with handgrip strength (male: r = −0.505, P < 0.0001; female: r = −0.568, P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

This study identified 10 urinary VOCs as possible non‐invasive biomarkers for sarcopenia, offering insights into its onset mechanism and potential therapeutic targets. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2025; 25: 307–315.
The “central vein sign” to differentiate multiple sclerosis from migraine
Authors: Silvestri Giulia , Roccatagliata Luca , Tazza Francesco , Schiavi Simona , Coccia Alberto , Bandettini Di Poggio Monica , Cellerino Maria , Signori Alessio , Finocchi Cinzia , Uccelli Antonio , Inglese Matilde , Lapucci Caterina
Published: January 2025

Objective

To investigate, in two cohorts including patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and migraine, (i) the prevalence of the “central vein sign” (CVS), (ii) the spatial distribution of positive CVS (CVS+) lesions, (iii) the threshold of CVS+ lesions able to distinguish MS from migraine with high sensitivity and specificity.

Methods

A total of 70 patients with MS/clinically isolated syndrome and 50 age‐ and sex‐matched patients with migraine underwent a 3‐T magnetic resonance imaging scan. The CVS was evaluated according to current guidelines, excluding eight patients with migraine who did not show white matter (WM) lesions. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to identify the best threshold in terms of proportion of CVS+ lesions and the absolute number of CVS+ lesions able to differentiate MS from migraine.

Results

Lesion volume was different between CVS+ and CVS negative lesions (median 1043 vs. 176.5 mm3 for MS cohort; median 35.1 vs. 52.2 mm3 for migraine cohort; p < 0.001 for all). A higher proportion of CVS+ lesions was associated with a higher probability of being diagnosed as MS (adjusted odds ratio 1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04–1.14; p < 0.001). CVS+ lesion volume and number were higher in MS with respect to migraine, both considering the whole brain and its subregions (p < 0.001). The proportion of CVS+ lesions in juxtacortical and infratentorial areas was higher in MS than in migraine (p = 0.015 and p = 0.034, respectively). The best CVS proportion‐based threshold able to differentiate MS from migraine was 35.0% (sensitivity 97.1%, specificity 85.7%) with an area under the curve of 0.95 (95% CI 0.90–1.00). The “select 6” rule seemed to be preferable in terms of specificity with respect to the “select 3” rule.

Conclusions

A CVS proportion‐based threshold of 35.0% is capable of distinguishing MS from migraine with high sensitivity and specificity. The “select 6” algorithm may be useful in the clinical setting.
Efficiency in Higher Education: A Review of Research From 1977 to 2022
Authors: Jain Itisha , Gulati Rachita
Published: January 2025

This paper provides a comprehensive survey of studies on the measurement of frontier efficiency in higher education. We review the database of 89 studies assessing higher education efficiency by applying both parametric and non‐parametric methods. For the selection of studies, the Scopus‐indexed journals from 1977 to 2022 are screened and methodically chosen. The analysis presents a classification of research in this area by trends, influential authors and works, emerging issues, primary inputs and outputs, efficiency measurement level, higher education efficiency principles, and estimating methodologies. We note the exponential growth of research on efficiency measurement in higher education from 2011 to 2022. Most evidence is from developed nations like Italy, the UK, China, Australia, and Germany, with more scope for research on higher education in developing nations. The subject analysis reveals that student and departmental investigations need more attention and can lead to groundbreaking research. The survey findings indicate that future researchers should emphasise privatisation, third‐mission activities, social responsibility, and higher education spending.
Negative thermal expansion of LiAlSiO4 interlayer with AgCuTi filler for brazing SiC joints
Authors: Jiang Jian , Wang Gang , Wang Hao , Zhao Yu , Han Ao , Dai Bisheng , He Rujie , Cao Xuelong
Published: January 2025

In order to relieve the residual stresses generated in SiC joints during brazing, LiAlSiO4‐reinforced AgCuTi/Cu‐foam composite interlayer was prepared. The typical interfacial structure of SiC joints was SiC/TiC/Ti5Si3 + Cu4Ti3 + CuTi + LiAlSiO4 + Cu (s, s) + Ag (s, s)/TiC/Ti5Si3/SiC. The effects of different process parameters and LiAlSiO4 additions on the microstructure and shear strength of the joints were investigated. The maximum shear strength of SiC was 118.7 MPa at 890°C for 10 min with LiAlSiO4 addition of 1 wt%, which is 94.5 MPa higher than that of SiC joints without LiAlSiO4. In addition, the theoretical calculations effectively proved that the addition of LiAlSiO4 can relieve the residual stresses in the joints effectively.
Anisotropic response of bidirectionally ice‐templated alumina/epoxy composites
Authors: Tiwari Sudhendu N. , Kumar Vinay , Agnihotri Prabhat K.
Published: January 2025

This work investigates the anisotropic response of nacre‐like lamellar alumina/epoxy composites at low and high strain rates. Ice‐templated alumina with long‐range aligned porous lamellar structures is fabricated at 20 vol% of ceramic part using bidirectional freeze casting method. The obtained porous structures are infiltrated with epoxy to fabricate lamellar alumina/epoxy composites. The compressive tests are performed on scaffolds and composites at different orientations relative to the freezing direction. The testing results reveal that infiltration has increased the uniaxial compressive strength of the scaffold substantially. The compressive properties are higher when loaded along the freezing direction, and it decreases when it is loaded away from the freezing direction. The strength of the composites exhibited a strong dependency on the loading direction and strain rates.
Sleep‐disordered breathing and cardiometabolic and inflammatory markers in children with overweight/obesity: The role of cardiorespiratory fitness
Authors: Torres‐Lopez Lucia V. , Plaza‐Florido Abel , Gil‐Cosano Jose J. , Migueles Jairo H. , Ortega Francisco B. , Cadenas‐Sanchez Cristina
Published: January 2025

Objectives

To investigate the association of sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB) severity with cardiometabolic and inflammatory markers independently of the adiposity levels; and to explore the role of cardiorespiratory fitness in these associations in children with overweight/obesity.

Methods

A total of 109 children aged 8–11 years with overweight/obesity were included in this cross‐sectional study. SDB was assessed using a scale of the reduce version of the Paediatric Sleep Questionnaire. Cardiometabolic markers included fasting blood lipids biomarkers (i.e., low‐ and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides), blood pressure, insulin, glucose, and the homeostatic model assessment index. Inflammatory markers (i.e., interleukin‐6, interleukin‐1β, C‐reactive protein [CRP], and tumour necrosis factor alpha) were analysed. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed by the 20 m shuttle‐run test.

Results

No significant associations were found between SDB severity and most of the cardiometabolic markers after correcting for adiposity and multiple comparisons (all p's >0.05). SDB severity was positively related to CRP (β = 0.352, p = 0.002), yet not with the remaining inflammatory markers analysed. The interaction effect of cardiorespiratory fitness presented a positive trend in the association of SDB with CRP (p = 0.1). When stratified analyses by cardiorespiratory fitness levels were conducted, a positive relation was found between SDB and CRP in the low cardiorespiratory fitness group (β = 0.465, p = 0.014), but not in the high cardiorespiratory fitness group (β = 0.236, p = 0.108).

Conclusion

SDB severity was positively associated with CRP independently of the adiposity levels, but not with other inflammatory or cardiometabolic risk factors in children with overweight/obesity. Moreover, our results suggest that higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness may attenuate the adverse effect of SDB severity on systematic inflammation in children with overweight/obesity.
What Is Wrong with Workism?
Authors: Hammerton Matthew
Published: January 2025

Workism is the phenomenon of people making their work the primary source of meaning and identity in their life. Recent critics of workism have argued that there is a growing trend towards it in many societies and that this is a bad thing. This article brings a philosophical perspective to the debate on workism. It develops a precise account of what workism is and evaluates the main objections raised against it by examining their underlying philosophical assumptions. Ultimately, it is argued that workism, as a way of life, is not as objectionable as its critics suggest.
Revisiting the phylogeny of Primulaceae s.l. using whole plastid genomes: Highlighting phylogenetic conflicts and their implications
Authors: Yan Hai‐Fei , Liu Tong‐Jian , Yuan Xun , Xu Yuan , Zhang Shu‐Yan , Hao Gang , Ge Xue‐Jun
Published: January 2025

The family Primulaceae s.l. is estimated to comprise approximately 60 genera and 2600 species worldwide. Although extensive research has been conducted on the family Primulaceae and its subfamily boundaries, there is a lack of systematic studies utilizing complete plastid genome data, leading to uncertainties in the phylogenetic positions of certain key taxa, such as Stimpsonia. In this study, plastid genomic data were collected from 67 accessions representing four subfamilies and 28 genera within the Primulaceae family. Phylogenetic trees were constructed using coalescent and concatenated approaches to elucidate the evolutionary history of the family. By employing a comprehensive dataset of 67 plastid genomes from all four subfamilies, a robust phylogenetic framework for the family was established. Contentious relationships were identified at the early stages of divergence in Primula and among Cyclamen and its relatives, probably due to rapid diversification. Our plastid genomic data support the idea that Stimpsonia is sister to the remainder of the subfamily Primuloideae, in contrast with its placement in Myrsinoideae based on nuclear data. A cytonuclear discordance in the phylogenetic position was also detected in Aegiceras corniculatum. The divergence time estimates from this study align with previous findings, indicating significant diversification events during the Eocene and Oligocene epochs. These timeframes coincide with major geological and climatic changes, which were likely to have influenced the distribution and diversification of Primulaceae. These results underscore the complex evolutionary history of the Primulaceae family and lay the groundwork for future research aimed at unraveling the intricate evolutionary dynamics within this family.
Quantitative Fundamental Theorem of Asset Pricing
Authors: Acciaio Beatrice , Backhoff‐Veraguas Julio , Pammer Gudmund
Published: January 2025

In this paper, we provide a quantitative analysis of the concept of arbitrage, that allows us to deal with model uncertainty without imposing the no‐arbitrage condition. In markets that admit “small arbitrage,” we can still make sense of the problems of pricing and hedging. The pricing measures here will be such that asset price processes are close to being martingales, and the hedging strategies will need to cover some additional costs. We show a quantitative version of the fundamental theorem of asset pricing (FTAP) and of the super‐replication theorem. Finally, we study robustness of the amount of arbitrage and existence of respective pricing measures, showing stability of these concepts with respect to a strongly adapted Wasserstein distance.
Ledebouria mavelii (Asparagaceae), a new species from Palakkad gap, Kerala, India
Authors: Ambika Viswanathan Pillai , Sethumadhavan Abhilash Kalathil , Philip Alen Alex , Jose Sojan , Veerankutty Suresh
Published: January 2025

Ledebouria mavelii, a new species of Asparagaceae, is described and compared with L. hyderabadensis, L. karnatakensis and L. revoluta. Ledebouria mavelii is confined to Palakkad District, Kerala, India. A detailed description, distribution, phenology, photographs and a key to Ledebouria species in India are provided. A phylogenetic analysis was conducted using sequences of two plastid genes, the maturase‐coding gene (matK) and the large subunit of ribulose 1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase‐coding gene (rbcL) as DNA markers. The phylogenetic trees constructed from matK and rbcL data successfully distinguished each species from one another.
Evolutionary analysis of a coupled epidemic‐voluntary vaccination behavior model with immunity waning on complex networks
Authors: Meng Xueyu , Fan Yufei , Qiao Yanan , Lin Jianhong , Cai Zhiqiang , Si Shubin
Published: January 2025

Vaccination is the most effective method of preventing and controlling the transmission of infectious diseases within populations. However, the phenomenon of waning immunity can induce periodic fluctuations in epidemic spreading. This study proposes a coupled epidemic‐vaccination dynamic model to analyze the influence of immunity waning on the epidemic spreading within the context of voluntary vaccination. First, we establish an SIRSV (susceptible–infected–recovered–susceptible–vaccinated) compartment model to describe the transmission mechanism of infectious diseases based on the mean‐field theory. Within this model, we incorporate a nonlinear infection rate with network topology and consider the waning natural and vaccine‐induced immunity at the individual level. The evolutionary model of voluntary vaccination strategy is integrated into the SIRSV model to characterize the impact of vaccination behavior on the infectious disease transmission. We also consider two individual risk assessment methods, namely, the individual‐based risk assessment (IB‐RA) method and the society‐based risk assessment (SB‐RA) method, originating from local and global perspectives, respectively. Then, utilizing the next‐generation matrix method, we derive the time‐varying effective reproduction numbers of the model. Also, the theoretical analysis of optimal strategy thresholds in the individual decision‐making process is also conducted. The results indicate that the thresholds obtained from the agent‐based model (ABM) simulation method are consistent with the theoretical analysis, demonstrating the effectiveness of our model. Finally, we apply the coupled model to the COVID‐19 pandemic in France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. This study analyzes the impact of waning immunity and provides early warning for the outbreak of the epidemics.
Managing and mitigating future public health risks: Planetary boundaries, global catastrophic risk, and inclusive wealth
Authors: McLaughlin Eoin , Beck Matthias
Published: January 2025

There are two separate conceptualizations for assessing existential risks: Planetary Boundaries (PBs) and global catastrophic risks (GCRs). While these concepts are similar in principle, their underpinning literatures tend not to engage with each other. Research related to these concepts has tended to be siloed in terms of the study of specific threats and also in terms of how these are assumed to materialize; PBs attribute global catastrophes to slow‐moving and potentially irreversible global changes, while GCRs focuses on cataclysmic short‐term events. We argue that there is a need for a more unified approach to managing global long‐term risks, which recognizes the complex and confounded nature of the interactions between PBs and GCRs. We highlight where the PB and GCR concepts overlap and outline these complexities using an example of public health, namely, pandemics and food insecurity. We also present an existing indicator that we argue can be used for monitoring and managing risk. We argue for greater emphasis on national and global ‘‘inclusive wealth’’ as a way to measure economic activity and thus to monitor and mitigate the unintended consequences of economic activity. In sum, we call for a holistic approach to stewardship aimed at preserving the integrity of natural capital in the face of a broad range of global risks and their respective regional or global manifestations.
The use of public spatial databases in risk analysis: A US‐oriented tutorial
Authors: Greenberg Michael R. , Schneider Dona , Cox Louis Anthony
Published: January 2025

This tutorial focuses on opportunities and challenges associated with using six large, publicly accessible spatial databases published during the last decade by US federal agencies. These databases provide opportunities for researchers to risk‐inform policy by comparing community asset, demographic, economic, and social data, along with anthropogenic and natural hazard data at multiple geographic scales. The opportunities for data analysis come with challenges, including data accuracy, variations in the shape and size of data cells, spatial autocorrelation, and other issues endemic to spatial datasets. If ignored, these issues can lead to misleading results. This article briefly reviews the six databases and how agencies use them. It then focuses on the data and its limitations. Examples are provided, as are summaries of the debates surrounding these databases, followed by paths forward for improving their use. We end with a checklist that users should consider when they access any of the six spatial databases or others. We believe that these new resources can be effectively used with appropriate caution to answer user‐generated questions about hazards and risks—questions that are important to both community groups and government decision‐makers.
Decision‐making under flood predictions: A risk perception study of coastal real estate
Authors: Seenath Avidesh , Mahadeo Scott Mark Romeo , Blackett Matthew
Published: January 2025

Flood models, while representing our best knowledge of a natural phenomenon, are continually evolving. Their predictions, albeit undeniably important for flood risk management, contain considerable uncertainties related to model structure, parameterization, and input data. With multiple sources of flood predictions becoming increasingly available through online flood maps, the uncertainties in these predictions present considerable risks related to property devaluation. Such risks stem from real estate decisions, measured by location preferences and willingness‐to‐pay to buy and rent properties, based on access to various sources of flood predictions. Here, we evaluate the influence of coastal flood predictions on real estate decision‐making in the United Kingdom by adopting an interdisciplinary approach, involving flood modeling, novel experimental willingness‐to‐pay real estate surveys of UK residents in response to flood predictions, statistical modeling, and geospatial analysis. Our main findings show that access to multiple sources of flood predictions dominates real estate decisions relative to preferences for location aesthetics, reflecting a shift in demand toward risk averse locations. We also find that people do not consider flood prediction uncertainty in their real estate decisions, possibly due to an inability to perceive such uncertainty. These results are robust under a repeated experimental survey using an open access long‐term flood risk map. We, therefore, recommend getting flood models “right” but recognize that this is a contentious issue because it implies having an error‐free model, which is practically impossible. Hence, to reduce real estate risks, we advocate for a greater emphasis on effectively communicating flood model predictions and their uncertainties to non‐experts.
The Impacts of Intellectual‐Property Related Preferential Trade Agreements on Bilateral Patent Applications
Authors: Howard Jacob , Maskus Keith E. , Ridley William
Published: January 2025

Intellectual property rights (IPRs) are a central emphasis in the negotiation of “deep” preferential trade agreements (PTAs) containing provisions on domestic regulatory policy. These provisions require member countries to adopt IPRs standards going beyond the baseline requirements of the World Trade Organization's TRIPS agreement. We use a structural gravity framework to study the effects of membership in such PTAs on bilateral international patenting, considering both within‐agreement applications and registrations between members and non‐members. We explore the heterogeneity of these effects arising from various attributes of different agreements. Our findings suggest that strong and enforceable IPRs standards in PTAs generate positive impacts on international patenting, albeit with significant disparities across agreement types. Agreements with multiple TRIPS‐Plus norms increase patenting among members compared with patenting from outside those areas, while other types encourage more patenting from non‐members.
Sustained Improvement in Medical Students' Academic Performance in Renal Physiology Through the Application of Flipped Classroom
Authors: Thongsricome Thana , Longsomboon Rahat , Srithawatpong Nattacha , Atchariyapakorn Sarunyapong , Kaikaew Kasiphak , Wangsaturaka Danai
Published: January 2025

Background

Teaching renal physiology is problematic in many medical schools since conventional passive learning might not be effective. Active learnings including flipped classroom (FC) have been introduced to medical education including renal physiology topic recently, but no study regarding long‐term outcomes has been reported.

Approach

Two classes of second‐year medical students were compared. The former class studied with conventional lecture and the latter class studied with FC. Our FC includes asynchronous instructor‐made recorded lectures that students can study according to their pace and available time, followed by synchronous case discussions related to the lecture topic. There were post‐test quizzes for all recorded lectures along with the given explanation of the answers after finishing each quiz. Short‐term topic understanding and long‐term knowledge retention assessed with summative examination and end‐of‐preclerkship comprehensive examination, respectively, were compared. Attitude towards FC was also assessed.

Evaluation

Students in the FC group performed better in both summative examination (70.1 ± 8.9 vs. 62.8 ± 9.9, p < 0.001, a total score of 90) and comprehensive examination (6.5 ± 2.2 vs. 5.9 ± 1.8, p < 0.001, a total score of 11). Most students agreed that FC should be applied despite the increased stress level and that the post‐test quizzes were very helpful. Intriguingly, the multivariate analysis showed that male students performed better than female students for both examinations.

Implications

Well‐designed FC is a promising and highly effective method in renal physiology teaching. Cautions for the instructor include students' stress and gender differences in academic performance.

Well‐designed FC is a promising and highly effective method in renal physiology teaching.
Navigating the Boundaries of Health and Identity: Medical Students' Perspectives
Authors: Bull S. , Danso‐Bamfo S. , Ogden J. , Kumar S.
Published: January 2025

Background

Medical professionals do not always manage their own health in an optimal way. Research conducted on medical students' response to illness is limited; however, some studies suggest they choose to self‐manage and seek advice outside of the traditional pathways of care. This study aims to understand how medical students perceive and manage their health as they transition through medical school.

Methods

Individual semistructured interviews with 10 medical students from one institution in England were conducted. Interviews explored students' experiences of managing their own physical and mental health and the health of family and friends, and how they could be better supported at medical school. Thematic analysis was conducted.

Results

Four themes were described reflecting: the different sources of learning that students used to construct their notion of health and how these changed during their training; how these notions of health influenced the practices that students used for good and bad self‐care; how they held multiple identities of a lay person and somebody with medical status that could result in conflicts and tensions; finally, students suggested supportive practices including creating a safe space for reflection and the discussion of conflict.

Discussion

Becoming a doctor can result in many tensions as students develop increasingly medicalised notions of health that may lead to poor self‐care. Creating spaces within the curriculum to discuss the privileges and tensions that arise from training to be a doctor may yield future benefits for the medical profession and patient care.
Resource‐Rational Virtual Bargaining for Moral Judgment: Toward a Probabilistic Cognitive Model
Authors: Trujillo Diego , Zhang Mindy , Zhi‐Xuan Tan , Tenenbaum Joshua B. , Levine Sydney
Published: January 2025

Recent theoretical work has argued that moral psychology can be understood through the lens of “resource rational contractualism.” The view posits that the best way of making a decision that affects other people is to get everyone together to negotiate under idealized conditions. The outcome of that negotiation is an arrangement (or “contract”) that would lead to mutual benefit. However, this ideal is seldom (if ever) practical given the resource demands (time, information, computational processing power) that are required. Instead, the theory proposes that moral psychology is organized around a series of resource‐rational approximations of the contractualist ideal, efficiently trading off between more resource‐intensive, accurate mechanisms and less. This paper presents empirical evidence and a cognitive model that test a central claim of this view: when the stakes of the situation are high, then more resource‐intensive processes are engaged over more approximate ones. We present subjects with a case that can be judged using virtual bargaining—a resource‐intensive process that involves simulating what two people would agree to—or by simply following a standard rule. We find that about a third of our participants use the resource‐rational approach, flexibly switching to virtual bargaining in high‐stakes situations, but deploying the simple rule when stakes are low. A third of the participants are best modeled as consistently using the strict rule‐based approach and the remaining third as consistently using virtual bargaining. A model positing the reverse resource‐rational hypothesis (that participants use more resource‐intensive mechanisms in lower stakes situations) fails to capture the data.
Cortical coding of gustatory and thermal signals in active licking mice
Authors: Nash Audrey N. , Shakeshaft Morgan , Bouaichi Cecilia G. , Odegaard Katherine E. , Needham Tom , Bauer Martin , Bertram Richard , Vincis Roberto
Published: January 2025

Eating behaviours are influenced by the integration of gustatory, olfactory and somatosensory signals, which all contribute to the perception of flavour. Although extensive research has explored the neural correlates of taste in the gustatory cortex (GC), less is known about its role in encoding thermal information. This study investigates the encoding of oral thermal and chemosensory signals by GC neurons compared to the oral somatosensory cortex. In this study we recorded the spiking activity of more than 900 GC neurons and 500 neurons from the oral somatosensory cortex in mice allowed to freely lick small drops of gustatory stimuli or deionized water at varying non‐nociceptive temperatures. We then developed and used a Bayesian‐based analysis technique to assess neural classification scores based on spike rate and phase timing within the lick cycle. Our results indicate that GC neurons rely predominantly on rate information, although phase information is needed to achieve maximum accuracy, to effectively encode both chemosensory and thermosensory signals. GC neurons can effectively differentiate between thermal stimuli, excelling in distinguishing both large contrasts (14 vs. 36°C) and, although less effectively, more subtle temperature differences. Finally a direct comparison of the decoding accuracy of thermosensory signals between the two cortices reveals that whereas the somatosensory cortex exhibited higher overall accuracy, the GC still encodes significant thermosensory information. These findings highlight the GC's dual role in processing taste and temperature, emphasizing the importance of considering temperature in future studies of taste processing.

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Key points

Flavour perception relies on gustatory, olfactory and somatosensory integration, with the gustatory cortex (GC) central to taste processing.

GC neurons also respond to temperature, but the specifics of how the GC processes taste and oral thermal stimuli remain unclear.

The focus of this study is on the role of GC neurons in the encoding of oral thermal information, particularly compared to the coding functions of the oral somatosensory cortex.

We found that whereas the somatosensory cortex shows a higher classification accuracy for distinguishing water temperature, the GC still encodes a substantial amount of thermosensory information.

These results emphasize the importance of including temperature as a key factor in future studies of cortical taste coding.
Health and tuberculosis systems resilience, the role of the private sector and pandemic preparedness: insights from a cross-country qualitative study with policy-makers in India, Indonesia and Nigeria
Authors: Brubacher Laura Jane , Yellappa Vijayashree , Lestari Bony Wiem , Heitkamp Petra , Aguilera Vasquez Nathaly , Sassi Angelina , Olusola-Faleye Bolanle , Thapa Poshan , Shyam Klinton Joel , Sheokand Surbhi , Pai Madhukar , Oga-Omenka Charity
Published: January 2025

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented challenge to health systems worldwide and had a severe impact on tuberculosis (TB) case notifications and service delivery. India, Indonesia and Nigeria are high TB-burden countries where the majority of initial care-seeking happens in the private health sector. The objectives of this study were to (1) explore policy-makers’ perspectives on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on private sector TB service delivery in India, Indonesia and Nigeria and (2) identify cross-cutting insights for pandemic preparedness with respect to TB service delivery.

Methods

From May to November 2021, 33 interviews were conducted with key policy-makers involved in health service administration, TB service delivery and/or the COVID-19 response in India, Indonesia and Nigeria (n=11 in each country). Interviews focused on the impact of COVID-19 on TB services and lessons learnt for pandemic preparedness with respect to TB in each study context. Data were analysed thematically using a hybrid inductive-deductive approach, informed by Haldaneet al’s Determinants of Health Systems Resilience Framework.

Results

Policy-makers highlighted the crucial role of intersectoral collaboration, effective governance, innovative financing strategies, health workforce reallocation and technological advancements such as virtual consultations and mHealth in strengthening TB service delivery amid the COVID-19 pandemic. India relied on patient–provider support agencies to implement a joint strategy for TB care across sectors and states. Indonesia engaged networks of private provider professional associations to facilitate coordination of the COVID-19 response. Nigeria implemented a pandemic policy for public–private referral for the continuity of TB care.

Conclusions

Countries implemented varied measures to support TB service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study presents insights from three countries (India, Indonesia and Nigeria) that together offer a ‘menu’ of possibilities for supporting pandemic preparedness with respect to TB care vis-à-vis strengthening health systems resilience.
Understanding gender inequities in antimicrobial resistance: role of biology, behaviour and gender norms
Authors: Batheja Deepshikha , Goel Srishti , Charani Esmita
Published: January 2025

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a critical public health threat, with gendered implications that are often overlooked. Key drivers of bacterial AMR include the misuse of antibiotics, inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure and poor infection control practices. Persistent gender discrimination exacerbates these issues, resulting in disparities in healthcare access and outcomes. This review explores how biological, sociocultural and behavioural factors contribute to the differential incidence of AMR in women. We present a conceptual framework to understand how gender norms influence antibiotic use and AMR. Differences in infection susceptibility, health-seeking behaviours, the ability to access and afford essential antibiotics and quality healthcare and appropriate diagnosis and management by healthcare providers across genders highlight the necessity for gender-sensitive approaches. Addressing gender dynamics within the health workforce and fostering inclusive policies is crucial for effectively mitigating AMR. Integrating intersectional and life course approaches into AMR mitigation strategies is essential to manage the changing health needs of women and other vulnerable groups.