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Biomechanical impact of tooth root morphology to inform dental implant design
Get PDFObjective Using finite element analysis (FEA), this study aims to investigate the impact of different tooth root morphologies and implant designs, including a standard implant and a custom root-analogue implant on stress and strain distribution across the mandible. Design Six models were created by varying the root morphology of one tooth (the mandibular first molar) under identical loading scenarios: an original molar root, an incisor root, a canine root, a taurodont root, a standard implant, and a custom root-analogue implant replicating the original root morphology. Results Models with the original molar and custom implant exhibited similar stress and strain distributions over the mandible and had higher principal strains (tensile and compressive) compared to the single-rooted and standard implant models. Specifically, the maximum tensile and compressive strain values in the mandible of the custom implant model reach 94.89 % and 99.15 % of those in the original tooth root model. In contrast, the other models show less than 55.68 % similarity. Conclusions Custom root-analogue implants, which mimic natural root morphology, demonstrated more favourable stress distribution patterns, similar to those of the natural molar, compared to single-root implants. Our findings suggest that multi-rooted teeth are biomechanically optimized for dissipating masticatory loads, and standard single-root implants may not adequately replicate these properties, leading to poor load distribution and increased failure risk in posterior locations. Further research is needed to refine custom root-analogue implant designs and optimize their clinical application to better match the natural biomechanical environment of the maxilla and mandible
Doubling of flood-induced bridge asset failure loss in Mozambique under 2050 climate
No full textMozambique, often impacted by severe flooding, faces challenges with its bridge networks, particularly due to climate change. Existing methods for evaluating flood-induced bridge asset failure loss lack a comprehensive national level risk assessment that includes a full spectrum of flood events and bridge-specific details. We introduce a new framework that quantifies flood-induced bridge failure loss nationally, incorporating climate change using an equivalent flood return period approach. This framework provides a continuous risk analysis, addressing the shortcomings of discrete flood return periods. Our analysis of 1,210 bridges in Mozambique indicates an annual expected values of bridge asset failure losses equivalent to 0.6 % of its 2021 Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or 83 million dollars. Under a high emission scenario, this loss could increase to 162 million dollars by 2050. The findings highlight the vulnerability of Mozambique’s bridges to floods with return periods of 500 to 1000 years, suggesting the need for revisions of bridge design codes. The framework’s utility extends beyond Mozambique; Other Global South countries can apply it to assess their bridge asset failure risks and strategically enhance bridge resilience. This method improves infrastructure management by identifying high-risk areas and justifying resource allocation for adaptation, enabling proactive responses to flood-induced challenges and enhancing climate resilience
Identifying the recurring travel patterns among older people: A mobility motif analysis with smartphone track and trace data
Get PDFIntroduction
Understanding older people's mobility patterns and out-of-home activities is crucial for promoting their independence, active ageing and well-being. This study leverages mobility motif analysis to identify recurring travel patterns among older people and investigate how they are associated with out-of-home activity profiles.
Method
We collected continuous 12 weeks of mobility data using a smartphone Track and Trace app on 9147 journeys made by 43 participants (3612 person-days) aged 55 and above in the West Midlands Combined Authority, UK. To address self-selection and low participation rates, we matched participants with national survey data based on out-of-home activity profiles. Using network analysis, we identified distinct mobility motifs within daily travel networks.
Results
A total of 106 distinct mobility motifs were identified, with 19 key motifs representing the most recurring travel patterns, collectively accounting for 92.2 % of all daily travel networks. The distribution revealed high consistency with group profiles. Further analysis revealed inter-group variations in travel frequency, mode use, motif types, and journey purposes among the three groups.
Conclusion
These findings provide evidence-based insights for developing age-friendly urban systems and targeted interventions to enhance mobility inclusivity among older populations. The identified motifs reveal diversity in older people's travel behaviours and highlight the need for addressing mobility barriers to promote active and socially connected lifestyles, enhancing their well-being and quality of life
Non-linear effects of built environment on cyclists’ perceived safety and comfort using online pairwise voting
No full textUnderstanding how built environment (BE) features influence cyclists’ perceptions is critical for designing human-centric and bike-friendly spaces. While previous research has largely focused on objective cycling conditions, this study addresses a key gap by investigating the non-linear relationships between BE features and cyclists’ subjective perceptions of safety and comfort, through a novel integration of Street View Images (SVIs), computer vision (CV), and explainable machine learning (ML). Using a pairwise voting survey, 150 participants evaluated 300 SVIs, with the results extrapolated to 5,176 locations using CV and ML models. The Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) framework quantified threshold effects and highlighted asymmetries between perceived safety and comfort, revealing three key insights: (1) Over 80% of subjective perceptions are explained by spatial chaos, greenery, cycle lane type, feature entropy, perceived road width, and crowdedness, though their relative importance and thresholds vary; (2) Several BE features exhibit threshold effects, including notable inverted “V-shaped” trends, with safety demonstrating higher sensitivity and lower tolerance to BE features compared to comfort; (3) Comfort-oriented interventions are particularly effective in heritage areas where structural constraints limit safety improvements. These findings emphasize the need for localized and context-sensitive strategies that differentiate between safety-oriented and comfort-prioritized interventions, enabling more effective cyclist-friendly urban design
Continuing use of e-cigarettes after stopping smoking and relapse: Secondary analysis of a large randomised controlled trial
Get PDFBackground and aims Smokers quitting successfully with the help of e-cigarettes often continue vaping. It is not known whether this promotes or prevents relapse back to smoking. This study aimed to determine whether use of e-cigarettes after successful smoking cessation affects the probability of relapse later on. Design Secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial where participants received combination nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or e-cigarettes to compare relapse rates in the two study arms and in abstainers who did and did not use e-cigarettes. Setting Four stop-smoking services in the United Kingdom. Participants 886 smokers (median age 41, smoking on average 15 cigarettes per day, 48% female) seeking help with stopping smoking. Measurements Main outcome was relapse to smoking by 12 months in participants who were abstinent at 4 weeks or at 6 months. Relapse was defined as abstinence at 4 weeks but not at one year or abstinence at 6 months but not at one year. Abstinence from smoking was defined as no smoking over the past 7 days. E-cigarette use was defined as using e-cigarettes at the time of abstinence on at least one day per week. Findings Abstainers in the e-cigarette arm were less likely to relapse than abstainers in the NRT arm [relative risk (RR) = 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.64–0.96 for relapse between 4 weeks and 1 year; RR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.55–0.93 for relapse between 6 months and 1 year). Relapse rates over both time periods were also lower in abstainers who used e-cigarettes compared with abstainers who did not use e-cigarettes (RR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.65–0.97 and RR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.57–0.98, respectively). Conclusions Use of e-cigarettes after stopping smoking is associated with a reduced risk of relapse
Identifying therapies to effectively reduce alexithymia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Get PDFAlexithymia is a multi-faceted construct that refers to difficulties with noticing and describing one's own emotional states, an externally oriented thinking style and constricted imaginal capacity. Here, we present a systematic review and meta-analysis of whether psychological interventions can reduce alexithymia compared to control conditions, and which intervention types are most effective. Following PRISMA guidance, this extensive search of databases resulted in 59 included studies, of which 53 effect sizes (N = 3368) were analysed with meta-analytic techniques. Overall, interventions significantly reduced levels of alexithymia compared with control conditions (g = -0.52 [SE = 0.09]), representing a medium-sized, average effect. Furthermore, moderation analyses indicated that integrative interventions had the largest effects, with minimal heterogeneity, with no differences found between psychological interventions that directly targeted alexithymia versus those that measured it as a secondary outcome. Included studies were mostly of good methodological quality. These findings increase theoretical and clinical knowledge of interventions for reducing alexithymia. Recommendations herein include conducting higher powered studies, recruiting more diverse groups, and developing a deeper understanding of the processes through which these interventions work
Big data discourses| Data in India’s digital public infrastructure (DPI): a deliberative policy ecology approach
Get PDFAt the 2023 G20 Summit held in New Delhi and afterwards, India and other multilateral entities made concerted efforts to accelerate conversations on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to enhance digital governance and sustainable development. This article traces its evolution over the last 20 years in India—from its early conception in 2006 as a digital ID for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families to its formalized nomenclature as Digital Public Infrastructure at the G20 summit. I then draw on the theoretical framework of the Deliberative Policy Ecology Approach (Raghunath, 2020, 2022) to examine how data have been imagined and deliberated as part of the DPI in India and internationally. The article concludes by analyzing the deliberative potential of DPI within the policy ecology and reflecting on the strengths and limitations of the Deliberative Policy Ecology Approach for this study
Photon emission without quantum jumps
Get PDFWhen modelling photon emission, we often assume that the emitter experiences a random quantum jump. When a quantum jump occurs, the emitter transitions suddenly into a lower energy level, while spontaneously generating a single photon. However, this point of view is misleading when modelling quantum optical systems which rely on far-field interference effects for applications like distributed quantum computing and non-invasive photonic quantum sensing. In this paper, we highlight that the dynamics of an emitter in the free radiation field can be described by simply solving a Schrödinger equation based on a locally-acting Hamiltonian without invoking the notion of quantum jumps. Our approach is nevertheless consistent with quantum optical master equations
Children's views of obesity, body size and weight:systematic review of UK qualitative evidence
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Understanding views about body size and weight is key to addressing both obesity and weight stigma. The views of younger children are not well understood and may differ in important ways from those of adults and young people. This review aimed to fill this gap. METHODS: Systematic review of qualitative evidence. We searched 19 database sources in February 2025 and included qualitative studies from the UK published since 2008 reporting data on children's (4-12 years) views of obesity, body size, body shape or weight. We assessed study quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist and conducted a thematic synthesis of the data. RESULTS: We included 34 studies. Study quality overall was fairly high. Children reported a range of perceived impacts of body weight, including health impacts, limitations on activities, bullying and teasing, which generated negative perceptions of overweight and fear of fatness. Ideas about body shape may be influenced by family members and by media or social media content. Children identified diet and physical activity as the main influences on body weight. There may be differences in views between girls and boys at older ages, although both are concerned about weight. We found very little data on differences relating to ethnicity or socioeconomic status. Children with overweight or obesity reported a pervasive experience of negative attitudes and bullying, which could be a barrier to participating in activities. CONCLUSION: Children, including very young children, generally hold very negative views of overweight and obesity. Overweight is seen to be linked with unhealthiness, limited agency and with being bullied. These links may influence how children understand messages about weight and health. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42025650306
The impact of say-on-pay on firm efficiency in Anglo-Saxon economies – Do CEO personal traits and CG mechanisms matter?
Get PDFIn this study, we explore how the personal traits of CEOs and corporate governance mechanisms moderate the link between say-on-pay (SOP) votes and various aspects of firm efficiency. Our sample consists of 1931 firms listed in four Anglo-Saxon economies (i.e., USA, UK, Canada and Australia) during a period of notable regulatory changes. Our findings reveal a significant and positive impact of SOP votes on firm efficiency. This suggests that company executives recognise that lower efficiency leads to lower pay or even job loss. Interestingly, our analysis indicates that younger managers can contribute more to creating value and improving business performance compared with their older counterparts. However, the relationship between gender and firm efficiency remains inconclusive. Furthermore, our study highlights the limited involvement of the board of directors in driving firm efficiency. This could be attributed to inadequate monitoring, cooperation and communication among board members, particularly in the case of audit committees, which seem to have less skilled members. Alternatively, this lack of board engagement may be due to the influence of powerful managers within the company. This paper also offers practical implications to policymakers and practitioners and suggests avenues for future research that can build upon our evidence
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