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GLOBAL VALUE CHAIN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2025: REWIRING GVCs IN A CHANGING GLOBAL ECONOMY
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Chapter 1: Recent Developments in Global Value Chains
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Audio Processing on Field-Programmable Gate Arrays
No full textThis document outlines the methods employed from conception to implementation and testing of a hardware-based digital audio processing system. The eight-month project was divided into phases of problem definition, system design, implementation via register-transfer level (RTL) code, and finally measurement and analysis of the design. The system was designed with live performance applications in mind and aims to achieve technical specifications that enforce high reconfigurability and signal quality, minimal latency, and low utilization of hardware resources. These technical specifications define a high-performance, low-cost system that acts as a proof-of-concept system that, with further development, has the
potential to outperform the state-of-the-art with regard to both adaptability and pricing without sacrificing latency or signal quality.Electrical Engineering S
Transforming Capacity into Impact: New Systemic Pathways to Realizing the Vision of National Public Health Institutes
No full textBACKGROUND
Numerous publications and frameworks have described health systems and public health responsibilities of countries, often focusing on clinical care while neglecting the need for population-centered approaches to achieve public health impact. Meanwhile, recent crises (e.g., Ebola, COVID-19) have highlighted the importance of strengthening public health capacities, pushing countries to recognize the value of robust systems to prevent, detect, and respond to health threats.
As such, the acceleration and growth of national public health institutes (NPHIs) has been a welcome response to the persistent threats to the health and well-being of populations. As their capacity increases, however, most still compete with a myriad of other government programs and agencies to define their distinct and critical role, garner funding, and build a sizable, highly capacitated workforce that will allow them to successfully sustain their missions. Even when the functions of an NPHI (generally associated with the 12 Essential Public Health Functions, as defined by WHO) are cultivated and supported, the competencies that these public health institutions must have to successfully translate these functions into successful performance and demonstrable impact is unclear. Given the limited resource environments and complex contexts of public health, particularly in low- and middle-income settings, understanding the pathways that successful public health systems have followed to achieve positive outcomes and impact could be critical to the future success and sustainability of public health institutions worldwide.
AIMS
This project aims to develop an operational framework that describes the complex adaptive pathways linking inputs to functional ability and, more importantly, the pathways from function to meaningful public health impact. The project has three key objectives. First, to initiate a new dialogue in public health around defining and achieving impact, with a focus on structuring capacity-building efforts to support these goals, particularly in national public health institutes and government health systems. Second, to explore how non-technical capacities and competencies contribute to public health success and impact. Third, to realign global health capacity-building efforts to more directly advance public health practice, improve quality, and enhance the measurable impact of public health initiatives.
METHODS
This study employed three complementary qualitative research methods: a literature review, key informant interviews, and exploratory case studies in Bangladesh and Jordan. The literature review synthesized existing research on National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) and their roles in global health. Key informant interviews were conducted with experts from the global health ecosystem, including those with significant involvement in NPHIs in various countries. Exploratory case studies involved in-depth interviews with individuals both within and outside the NPHIs studied, observational data collection, and a document review.
Data collection efforts were designed to address the following research questions:
1. Given the positionality and authority of NPHIs in low- and middle-income countries, which essential public health functions are they best positioned to perform?
2. Based on the essential public health functions identified, what additional capacities are needed for NPHIs to functionally succeed or achieve demonstrable public health impact?
3. What factors enable or inhibit NPHI efforts to:
- build the capacity to perform essential public health functions?
- build additional capacities necessary to achieve functional success or demonstrable public health impact?
FINDINGS
The study finds that, while the implementation of the 12 Essential Public Health Functions provides value to populations served by government health systems, responsibility for their execution does not need to rest solely with the NPHI. In many cases, shifting these functions entirely to the NPHI can disrupt the system and overwhelm the institution. A more effective approach may involve focusing on a “Core 4” or “Core 5” set of data-driven functions while coordinating with other entities to perform additional functions.
Furthermore, while technical capacities and tools—such as those supporting surveillance, emergency response, public health research, and disease prevention—are critical, non-technical “strategic accelerators” that also play a significant role in achieving public health impact. Using retrospective outcome analysis four strategic accelerators enable NPHIs to progress beyond functionality to impact were identified: Systems Awareness and Collaboration, Adaptive Capacity, Sustainability Thinking, and Population Engagement and Prioritization. The constructs and sub-constructs of these strategic accelerators were further defined based on the analysis of qualitative data collected. However, it is notable that these accelerators have been largely overlooked in public health capacity-building efforts in the past.
Finally, this study identifies a hypothesized pathway linking institutional functions to measurable public health outcomes to impact. This proposed pathway provides a new approach to understanding NPHI success and impact but also underscores the need for operational frameworks that consider both direct and systemic contributions to health. By taking a more holistic approach to capacity building and NPHI development that integrates technical acumen with strategic and structural expertise, future approaches to public health capacity building, systems change, and population impact may be demonstrably improved moving forward. Moreover, this more robust approach may prove invaluable to the support and sustainment of national public health institutes in the future.Public Healt
Statistical Inference and Learning in Complex Experimental Settings
No full textThis thesis presents three self-contained chapters: a powerful approach to partial conjunction hypothesis testing, an online reinforcement learning algorithm for scarce resource allocation in public health settings, and an experimental design for anytime valid inference on adaptive experiments.
In Chapter 1, we propose a new method for partial conjunction hypothesis (PCH) testing, called the Conditional Partial Conjunction Hypothesis (cPCH) test. PCH tests are necessary to address important statistical questions in a diverse array of fields, from the analysis of causal graphs to the evaluation of scientific replicability. The cPCH test is less conservative, and hence, more powerful than existing approaches, and achieves particular power gains in low-signal regimes commonly encountered in applications such as genetic analysis.
In Chapter 2, we propose a new experimental design for adaptive experiments that enables continuous inference on the Average Treatment Effect (ATE), with guarantees on statistical validity and power. In contrast to existing work, our approach does not require the treatment assignment probabilities of the adaptive assignment algorithm to be bounded away from zero and one, making it applicable to nearly any adaptive experimental design, including many common multi-armed bandit algorithms like Thompson sampling and the Upper Confidence Bound method. We empirically show that our design improves the power of ATE inference while maintaining valid finite-sample coverage across a wide array of experimental settings while paying relatively little cost in reward.
In Chapter 3, we present a new online reinforcement learning algorithm for allocating scarce interventions in health program. By utilizing hierarchical Bayesian modeling approaches, our algorithm shares information within and across the program participants to learn the underlying transition dynamics quickly, even the algorithm only has a limited time horizon to interact with the system. Through an extensive simulation study, including one setting developed from real data from a mobile health service program in India, we showcase our algorithm’s ability to significantly improve retention in health program settings.Statistic
DESIGNING THE FUNGAL CITY: A framework for connecting mycorrhizal networks in the built environment
No full textUrban infrastructure has replaced what once was biologically rich soil with compacted, sterile substrates severing the underground networks that facilitate mutualistic relationships between plants and mycorrhizal fungi. This dissertation argues that one way of reintegrating mycorrhizal networks – and thereby restoring the health and resilience of the urban biota—is by redesigning underground environments. An extensive literature review was first undertaken to develop a comprehensive understanding of current research across the fields of landscape architecture, microbiology and ecology. The review revealed a lack of cross disciplinary collaboration and highlighted the need for a more integrative approach to studying and designing urban environments. Central to this dissertation is the design, development and testing of the soil conduit—a new form of green infrastructure designed to connect trees physically in order to help foster the growth of fungal networks in urban conditions. By creating a connected rhizosphere, the soil conduit enables trees to exchange nutrients, which encourages health and resilience through cooperative dynamics. To demonstrate the feasibility and impact of the soil conduit, this research employed two proof of concepts at different scales. At the micro scale, a controlled experiment was conducted in a greenhouse with 53 oak saplings to evaluate the effects of the soil conduit on tree health and fungal communities. Over the course of the study, samples were collected from the soil and the root zones, to be analysed using molecular and microscopic techniques.
The results confirmed the presence of ectomycorrhizal fungi in the soil conduit, in addition to improved tree health-scores and growth measurements in connected treatments. These findings suggest that the conduit is effective in promoting underground connectivity and ecological resilience in urban landscapes. At the macro scale, a mapping exercise was undertaken to analyse the spatial and infrastructural conditions that support soil connectivity and tree health. A study explored trees growing in parks and sidewalks to determine the effects of fragmentation in an urban context on the structure of the soil as well as the health score and growth measurements of trees. Here mapping is also suggested as a tool to begin speculating about potential underground fungal networks in the built environment and how a soil conduit might enhance this connectivity, thereby enhancing the resilience of the urban forest. This research demonstrates the soil conduit’s potential to transform how we design for urban ecosystems, reimagining the underground landscapes as a site of connection rather than isolation by offering a scalable and design-oriented framework for reintegrating mycorrhizal fungi—and the vital ecological functions they support—into the urban fabric.Advanced Studies Progra
MITOCHONDRIAL TRANSPLANTATION AS A NOVEL THERAPEUTIC STRATEGY FOR RETINAL ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION INJURY
No full textAbstract
Title: Mitochondrial Transplantation as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy for Retinal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury
Authors: Fernando Rubio-Mijangos1,2, Aybuke Çelik1, Maria Loscertales2, Alexander Bigger-Allen3, Sitaram Emani1, Pedro del Nido1, Demetrios Vavvas2*, James D. McCully1*
1Department of Cardiac Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
2Department of Ophthalmology, Retina Service, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
3Urological Diseases Research Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
*Co-last authors
Keywords: Mitochondrial transplantation; Retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury; Oxidative stress; Mitochondrial dysfunction; Cellular bioenergetics; ARPE-19; Inflammation; Apoptosis;
Background
Mitochondria are central to cellular homeostasis, providing ATP through oxidative phosphorylation while also regulating oxidative stress, apoptosis, and immune responses. Retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury (RIRI) disrupts mitochondrial function, triggering oxidative stress, inflammation, and neurovascular degeneration. Given the critical role of mitochondria in retinal cell survival, mitochondrial transplantation (MT) has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy to restore mitochondrial integrity and bioenergetics in ischemic tissues. This study evaluates the potential of MT in rescuing oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in an in vitro model of RIRI.
Methods
ARPE-19 cells were differentiated into a mature retinal pigment epithelium-like phenotype and subjected to oxidative stress using hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Mitochondria were isolated from ARPE-19 cells and characterized for viability and function. Transplantation was performed at optimized doses, and mitochondrial uptake, ATP production, oxidative stress resilience, and cell survival were assessed. Bulk RNA sequencing was conducted to analyze transcriptional responses following MT, identifying differentially expressed genes and enriched biological pathways involved in cellular stress adaptation.
Results
Transplanted mitochondria were efficiently internalized by ARPE-19 cells and integrated into the host mitochondrial network, restoring ATP levels in a dose-dependent manner. MT significantly improved cell survival and reduced oxidative stress-induced apoptosis at 0.25-0.5 mM H₂O₂ concentrations. RNA sequencing revealed that MT downregulated inflammatory and apoptotic pathways, including IL-17, VEGF, and CASP9 signaling, while upregulating stress-adaptive pathways such as TNF, NF-κB, SGK1, and efferocytosis. Notably, MT reduced IL6 and IL6R expression, potentially mitigating inflammation-driven mitochondrial dysfunction.
Conclusion
MT demonstrates significant potential in restoring mitochondrial function and modulating stress-responsive transcriptional programs in RIRI models. By mitigating oxidative stress, preserving ATP levels, and reprogramming inflammatory responses, MT presents a promising therapeutic approach for retinal ischemic diseases.
Future Directions
Further investigations are required to validate these findings in vivo, refine transplantation protocols, and assess the long-term efficacy and safety of MT. Proteomic and metabolomic analyses could provide deeper insights into mitochondrial integration and functional recovery, advancing MT as a viable intervention for retinal ischemia.Graduate Educatio