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A weighting framework to improve the use of emissions scenario ensembles of opportunity
No full textIntegrated assessment models (IAMs) produce large ensembles of socioeconomic scenarios that are used
profusely in climate change research. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), non-governmental organisations or national climate committees often rely on ensemble statistics to identify mitigation strategies and set climate targets. A limitation of such evidence is the opportunistic nature of scenario ensembles: they are an unstructured, serendipitous collection of evidence. Drawing on concepts from physical climate science and ensemble analysis, we present a novel approach for the flexible, multidimensional weighting of emission scenario data that accounts for relevance, quality, and diversity. Our illustrative application to the latest IPCC scenario database demonstrates a reduction in dominance of highly represented models and studies, and sees net-zero emission milestones differ to those originally reported. Our framework formalises decisions otherwise made in an ad hoc manner, providing a tool contributing to the broader challenge of assessing ensembles of
opportunity
A multiomic approach integrating genomic and metabolomic data highlights colorectal cancer pathways
No full textNumerous genetic variants have been identified by genome-wide association studies as being associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. Metabolome-wide association analysis was performed for 187 CRC-associated genetic variants using genomic data and untargeted 1H nuclear magnetic resonance urine metabolomics from 1951 Airwave Health Monitoring Study participants. We identified statistically significant associations between seven CRC single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and urinary metabolites. This included SNPs within or close to RHPN2 with sucrose (P = 1.2 × 10–7), SLC6A18 with amino acids (P = 6.9 × 10–5 with tyrosine, P = 9.9 × 10–5 with leucine), and MAP2K5 and BMP2 with gut microbial metabolites (P = 1.6 × 10–4 and P = 4.4 × 10–4). The most significant correlation was followed by functional experiments in Caco-2 colon cancer cells. CRISPR-mediated knockout of a 48-nt RHPN2 intronic region containing rs10411210 in colon cancer cells compromised cell growth. RNA sequencing was performed in the two sets of clones (3 edited and 3 unedited) followed by pathway enrichment, and gene ontology analysis depicted extensive deregulation of genes (448 up- and 195 downregulated) involved in cell division and several metabolic processes. Overall, these findings demonstrate that integrating genetic and metabolomic data highlights the importance of the RHPN2 intronic locus in CRC potentially through metabolic processes affecting excretion of dietary and other metabolites
Only the ambidextrous can flock: two-dimensional chiral malthusian flocks, time cholesterics, and the KPZ equation
No full textWe study the hydrodynamic behavior of two-dimensional chiral dry Malthusian flocks; that is, chiral polar-ordered active matter with neither number nor momentum conservation. We show that, in the absence of fluctuations, such systems generically form a “time cholesteric”, in which the velocity of the entire system rotates uniformly at a fixed frequency b. Fluctuations about this state
belong to the universality class of (2+1)-dimensional Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) equation, which implies short-ranged orientational order in the hydrodynamic limit. We then show that, in the limit of weak chirality, the hydrodynamics of a system with reasonable size is expected to governed
by the linear regime of the KPZ equation, exhibiting quasi-long-ranged orientational order. Our predictions for the velocity and number density correlations are testable in both simulations and experiments
L-spaces and knot traces
No full textThere has been a great deal of interest in understanding which knots are characterized by which of their Dehn surgeries. We study a 4-dimensional version of this question: which knots are determined by which of their traces? We prove several results that are in stark contrast with what is known about characterizing surgeries, most notably that the 0-trace detects every L-space knot.
Our proof combines tools in Heegaard Floer homology with results about surface homeomorphisms and their dynamics. We also consider nonzero traces, proving for instance that each positive torus knot is determined by its n-trace for any n ≤ 0, whereas no non-positive integer is known to be a characterizing slope for any positive torus knot besides the right-handed trefoil
Large-scale molecular endotype discovery in synovial fluid reveals osteoarthritis as a single biological continuum
No full textKnee osteoarthritis affects 40% of people during their lifetime, significantly impacting societies worldwide. Its molecular pathogenesis remains poorly understood and variable clinical phenotypes suggest it may be more than one disease. We established Synovial fluid To detect Endotypes by Unbiased Proteomics in OA (STEpUP OA) to search for molecular endotypes in knee OA synovial
fluid, and to reveal key pathobiological pathways across 1361 individuals with knee OA. Using unsupervised clustering, a single cluster representing a biological continuum is observed, primarily driven by “Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition”. Distinct molecular endotypes are not detected. “Angiogenesis”, “Complement” and “Coagulation” are enriched for after stratification by clinical
phenotype (obesity status, biological sex). Complement and coagulation are associated with the inflammatory marker, C-reactive protein. Associations with patient-reported knee pain are weaker. These findings support knee OA as a biological continuum, identify common and phenotype dependent targetable pathways, and a rationale for stratification in clinical trial design
The burden of malaria-attributable maternal anaemia and the impact of preventive treatment across sub-Saharan Africa
No full textMalaria in pregnancy is a major but poorly quantified contributor to maternal anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa. We combined individual-level data on haemoglobin (Hb), gravidity, gestational age and PCR-confirmed Plasmodium falciparum infection from 12,608 pregnancies in 7 African countries with a gravidity-specific model of malaria exposure and immunity linked to contemporary maps of transmission and fertility. For 2023, we estimate that 13.1 million pregnancies in malaria-endemic African regions were exposed to P. falciparum. In the absence of preventive measures, this exposure would have resulted in 2.41 million (95% credible interval 1.98–3.04 million) cases of moderate or severe anaemia (Hb < 9 g dl−1), including 600,000 (408,000–906,000) severe cases (Hb < 7 g dl−1). A counterfactual scenario using 2,000 transmission levels suggests that a 32% reduction in exposure during pregnancy translated into only a 22% decline in intrinsic anaemia burden, reflecting a shift from a concentration of risk in primigravidae to a more even distribution across gravidities as multigravid women acquire less pregnancy-specific immunity. Calibrating our model to randomized trials, we estimate that under current coverage, intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy using sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine averted around 1.10 million (0.72–1.61 million) cases of moderate or severe anaemia and 330,000 (225,000–523,000) severe cases in 2023. These findings show that although burden has declined substantially, malaria remains a major driver of maternal anaemia risk. Meanwhile, lower immunity across multigravidae means any interruption to intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy using sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, or other population-based malaria control efforts, risks rapid resurgence of severe maternal anaemia, with substantial consequences for maternal and neonatal health
Talla
No full text'Talla' is a poem about a child learning about her Cypriot identity from an older grandmother figure as a visitor to the island
Extending the TCQ Framework: Redesigning Digital Customer Experience in High-End Luxury Service Contexts
No full textThe file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Purpose
Amazon’s failed luxury stores initiative offers a critical case for examining the incompatibility between mass-market digital strategies and high-end service environments. This study extends the TCQ (touchpoints, context, qualities) framework by introducing a luxury-centric variant (L-TCQ), illuminating how symbolic, hedonic and prestige-driven value co-creation processes are undermined when convenience overtakes exclusivity.
Design/methodology/approach
A thematic analysis was conducted on qualitative data from 35 international MBA students specializing in luxury brand management. Participants evaluated Amazon luxury stores in real-time, generating experiential feedback based on structured digital journey immersion.
Findings
The results reveal that Amazon failed to deliver critical luxury-specific experiential qualities, including immersion, personalization and brand legitimacy. The study introduces “nonlinear process sequence” as a luxury-specific construct describing the nonlinear and symbolic navigation of digital services by high-end consumers.
Practical implications
Luxury service providers should design digital platforms using the L-TCQ framework to foster symbolic engagement, emotional immersion and prestige signaling – key elements absent from mainstream customer experience (CX) design.
Originality/value
This research contributes to services marketing by proposing the L-TCQ model, a theoretical refinement that incorporates luxury-specific service dimensions into the TCQ framework. It advances the field by theorizing how experiential, contextual and symbolic co-creation failures explain Amazon’s shortcomings and offers an actionable roadmap for digital luxury CX design