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From unfulfilled to exceptionally motivated: motivational types, change, and retention of blood and plasma donors
Get PDFObjective: Blood donations are essential for many routine medical procedures, but donor retention poses a major challenge for blood collection organisations. We argue that insufficient knowledge about heterogeneity in blood donor motivation limits our understanding of donor behaviour and the effectiveness of retention strategies. This study aims to identify types of blood and plasma donors based on factors that have been identified as central drivers of repeated blood donation behaviour, including constructs from an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour, prosocial values, and social network characteristics. Methods and Measures: We apply latent transition analysis to a large sample of blood and plasma donors in the Netherlands (N = 22,128). Results: We identify four classes of donors: the moderately motivated donors (33%), the exceptionally motivated donors (18%), the unfulfilled donors (23%), and the confident habitual donors (26%). We identify socio-demographic predictors of class membership, show that donors often transition between these types over time, and that class membership is predictive of long-term donor lapse. Conclusion: Future research and blood bank marketeers would be advised to take donor heterogeneity into account when studying donors or designing campaigns for recruitment and retention of donors, as not all donors are alike
A decentred study of uncollaborative governance
Get PDFPurposeThis paper examines the challenges of achieving collaborative governance in public decision-making, particularly in contexts where multiple, conflicting interests are present. It explores the governance dilemmas faced by public leaders who must navigate these tensions while still aspiring to collaborative ideals. DesignAdopting a decentred perspective, the study draws on three qualitative case studies within the English healthcare system. It investigates how policy leaders facilitated structured opportunities for collaboration and how these were influenced by competing traditions and interests. FindingsDespite efforts to enable collaboration, the case studies revealed that decision-making was often shaped by dominant policy leaders, impression management, and persistent conflict. The analysis identifies three forms of "un-collaborative governance": • Auditable un-collaboration, where formal procedures are used to create an appearance of collaboration while marginalizing dissenting views; • Authoritative un-collaboration, where public leaders control information and agenda-setting to dominate decision-making; • Adversarial un-collaboration, where competition and critique between stakeholders are actively encouraged. These modes can coexist or evolve throughout policy cycles as leaders attempt to fulfil the symbolic or practical expectations of collaboration. OriginalityThe paper contributes a novel typology of un-collaborative governance, challenging assumptions about the feasibility and desirability of collaboration in complex policy environments. It offers a nuanced account of how collaboration is shaped, constrained, and sometimes subverted by competing institutional logics and strategic behaviour
Discontinuation of menopausal hormone therapy and risk of fracture: nested case-control studies using routinely collected primary care data
Get PDFBackgroundWomen benefit from reduced fracture risk while using menopausal hormone therapy. However, information on risks after stopping menopausal hormone therapy is scarce and inconsistent, with no information on longer-term fracture risk as women age. We aimed to produce robust estimates of fracture risk among past users for the longest possible period after discontinuing therapy.MethodsWe did a nested case–control study using UK primary and secondary care data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, with the underlying cohorts CPRD GOLD and Aurum. Women, aged 40 years and older, registered with a primary care practice between Jan 1, 1998, and Feb 28, 2023, and with a first record for any fracture, were matched at the fracture index date with up to five female controls with no fracture history, who were of the same age and registered at the same general practice. Menopausal hormone therapy-related fracture risks were assessed using conditional logistic regression adjusted for demographics, family history, menopausal symptoms, comorbidities, and other medications.FindingsIn total, 648 747 women (500 692 from Aurum and 148 055 from GOLD databases) with a first fracture record during the study period were matched to 2 357 125 women with no previous or contemporaneous fracture record. Age of average fracture cases was 68·5 years (SD 14·0), 3·2% were recorded as being from minority ethnic populations, and about a quarter of patients were older than 80 years. 140 410 (21·6%) cases used menopausal hormone therapy for a median of 3·6 years (IQR 1·3–6·8) and 515 917 (21·9%) controls used it for a median of 3·9 years (1·4–7·3). Compared with never-use, overall fracture risk was reduced for current use (oestrogen-only odds ratio [OR] 0·76 [95% CI 0·74–0·78], oestrogen–progestogen OR 0·75 [0·73–0·76]), became higher 1–10 years after discontinuation (oestrogen-only OR 0·99 [0·98–1·01], oestrogen–progestogen OR 1·06 [1·05–1·08]), but was again lower for more than 10 years post-cessation (oestrogen-only OR 0·93 [0·91–0·94], oestrogen–progestogen OR 0·95 [0·94–0·96]). Risk levels varied by menopausal hormone therapy type and by duration of treatment. Estimated extra fracture cases per 10 000 women-years 1–10 years after oestrogen–progestogen treatment were equivalent to 14 cases for less than 5 years menopausal hormone therapy exposure and five cases for 5 or more years of exposure. However, for more than 10 years after discontinuation, we estimated three fewer fracture cases for those on oestrogen–progestogen therapy for less than 5 years exposure and 13 fewer fracture cases for those with 5 or more years of exposure.InterpretationWe have observed an attenuation of fracture risk after discontinuing menopausal hormone therapy, which manifests after an initial sharp rise. Fracture risk generally increases with age, but after discontinuation of menopausal hormone therapy, fracture risk increases steeply, usually to above the levels of comparable never-users, and then rises less quickly relative to never-users to become again notably reduced by comparison in older age. Our findings provide information for researchers looking to improve fracture risk outcomes for women after discontinuing menopausal hormone therapy, and for doctors and their patients to consider before commencing or stopping menopausal hormone therapy, especially regarding expected steep post-discontinuation rises in fracture risk and periods of enhanced fracture risk
Deeper multi-redshift upper limits on the Epoch of Reionization 21-cm signal power spectrum from LOFAR between z=8.3 and z=10.1
Get PDFWe present new upper limits on the 21-cm signal power spectrum from the Epoch of Reionization (EoR), at redshifts í µí± § ≈ 10.1, 9.1, and 8.3, based on reprocessed observations from the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR). The analysis incorporates significant enhancements in calibration methods, sky model subtraction, radio-frequency interference (RFI) mitigation, and an improved signal separation technique using machine learning to develop a physically motivated covariance model for the 21-cm signal. These advancements have markedly reduced previously observed excess power due to residual systematics, bringing the measurements closer to the theoretical thermal noise limit across the entire í µí±-space. Using comparable observational data, we achieve a 2 to 4-fold improvement over our previous LOFAR limits, with best upper limits of Δ 2 21 < (68.7 mK) 2 at í µí± = 0.076 ℎ cMpc −1 , Δ 2 21 < (54.3 mK) 2 at í µí± = 0.076 ℎ cMpc −1 and Δ 2 21 < (65.5 mK) 2 at í µí± = 0.083 ℎ cMpc −1 at redshifts í µí± § ≈ 10.1, 9.1, and 8.3, respectively. These new multi-redshift upper limits provide new constraints that can be used to refine our understanding of the astrophysical processes during the EoR. Comprehensive validation tests, including signal injection, were performed to ensure the robustness of our methods. The remaining excess power is attributed to residual foreground emissions from distant sources, beam model inaccuracies, and low-level RFI. We discuss ongoing and future improvements to the data processing pipeline aimed at further reducing these residuals, thereby enhancing the sensitivity of LOFAR observations in the quest to detect the 21-cm signal from the EoR
Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry: summary of the second workshop
Get PDFThis summary of the second Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry (TVLBAI) Workshop provides a comprehensive overview of our meeting held in London in April 2024 (Second Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry Workshop, Imperial College, April 2024), building on the initial discussions during the inaugural workshop held at CERN in March 2023 (First Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry Workshop, CERN, March 2023). Like the summary of the first workshop (Abend et al. in AVS Quantum Sci. 6:024701, 2024), this document records a critical milestone for the international atom interferometry community. It documents our concerted efforts to evaluate progress, address emerging challenges, and refine strategic directions for future large-scale atom interferometry projects. Our commitment to collaboration is manifested by the integration of diverse expertise and the coordination of international resources, all aimed at advancing the frontiers of atom interferometry physics and technology, as set out in a Memorandum of Understanding signed by over 50 institutions (Memorandum of Understanding for the Terrestrial Very Long Baseline Atom Interferometer Study)
The origin of the intracluster light in The Three Hundred simulations
Get PDFWe investigated the origin and formation mechanisms of the intracluster light (ICL) in THE THREE HUNDRED simulations, a set of 324 hydrodynamically resimulated massive galaxy clusters. The ICL, a diffuse component comprised of stars not bound to any individual galaxy, serves as a critical tracer of cluster formation and evolution. Using two implementations of hydrodynamics, GADGET-X and GIZMO-SIMBA, we identified the stellar particles that constitute the ICL at z = 0 and traced them back in time to the moments when they were formed and accreted into the ICL. Our analysis reveals that, across our 324 clusters, half of the present-day ICL mass is typically in place between z ∼ 0.2 and 0.5. The main ICL formation channel is the stripping of stars from subhalos after their infall into the host cluster. Within this channel, 65−80% of the ICL comes from objects with stellar (infall) masses above 1011 M⊙, corresponding to massive galaxies, groups and clusters. When we also consider the ratio of the infalling halo to the total cluster mass, we see that a median of 35% of the mass is brought in major merger events, although the percentage varies significantly across clusters (15−55%). Additional contributions come from minor mergers (25−35%) and smooth accretion (20−50%). The infall redshift of the primary contributors is generally below z ≤ 1, with smaller fractions arriving at redshifts between 1 and 2. Regarding other formation channels, we find minor contributions from stars formed in subhalos after their infall and stars stripped while their contributing halo remains outside the host cluster (and can eventually fall inside or stay outside). Finally, for our two sets of simulations, we find medians of 12 (GADGET-X) and 2 (GIZMO-SIMBA) percent of the ICL mass formed in situ, i.e. directly as part of the diffuse component. However, this component can be attributed to stripping of gas in high-velocity infalling satellite galaxies
The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2025/26: Ion channels
Get PDFThe Concise Guide to Pharmacology 2025/26 marks the seventh edition in this series of biennial publications in the British Journal of Pharmacology. Presented in landscape format, the guide provides a comparative overview of the pharmacology of drug target families. The concise nature of the Concise Guide refers to the style of presentation, being clear, accessible, and well-structured, rather than the scope of the content, which spans approximately 500 pages. The Concise Guide summarises the key pharmacological properties of around 1900 human drug targets, and nearly 7000 interactions, involving around 4400 ligands. While the content is a substantially condensed version of the more detailed information and links available at the www.guidetopharmacology.org website, the printed guide serves as a permanent, citable, point-in-time record, that remains stable despite ongoing updates to the online database. The full contents of this publication can be found at https://bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.70231.The Concise Guides provide expert-curated recommendations of ‘Gold Standard’ selective pharmacological tools, available either commercially or as donations, which enable the identification of individual drug targets or families of drug targets. While the Concise Guide offers a more streamlined overview, more comprehensive information, including detailed pharmacological profiles and links to multiple online databases, is available through the Guide to Pharmacology website. The 2025/26 edition of the Concise Guide is based on material current as of mid-2025, and supersedes all previous editions, including the 2023/24 Guide, and earlier Guides to Receptors and Channels. It is produced in close conjunction with the Nomenclature and Standards Committee of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (NC-IUPHAR), and as such provides official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets, where applicable.Ion channels are one of the six major pharmacological targets into which the Guide is divided, with the others being: G protein-coupled receptors, nuclear hormone receptors, catalytic receptors, enzymes and transporters. Each section includes nomenclature guidance, concise summaries, information of the best available pharmacological tools, key references, and suggestions for further reading
Towards A Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity: From Negotiation To Effective Enforcement
Get PDFThis contribution traces the pathway to negotiation of the Convention on Crimes Against Humanity following the adoption of U.N. General Assembly Resolution 79/122 of 2024. It highlights several cross-cutting issues that require further attention during the negotiating process; namely, the principle of universal jurisdiction, the obligation to extradite or prosecute (“aut dedere aut judicare”), and the treatment of amnesties. Moreover, it explores the critical role of national implementation and discusses possible enforcement and oversight mechanisms, both of which will help give meaning to the treaty’s aims and objectives and ensure that it becomes an effective instrument for the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity
InSAR Coherence Linked to Soil Moisture, Water Level and Precipitation on a Blanket Peatland in Scotland
Get PDFHydrological changes in peatland are directly related to peat condition. Restoration projects typically aim to raise the water table to enhance peat development, support ecology and increase carbon storage. Remote monitoring of peatland hydrology is challenging but advantageous for assessing condition and restoration effectiveness. This study explores how temporal Sentinel-1-derived InSAR coherence relates to ground-based measurements of soil moisture, water level and local precipitation at two sites, near-natural (Munsary) and degraded (Knockfin Heights), in the Flow Country, Scotland, alongside regional Wick weather station precipitation data (2015–2024). Stronger seasonal linear relationships were observed between soil moisture and InSAR coherence in spring/summer (R2 reaching 0.83 at Munsary subsite C, p < 0.001), with in-phase cross correlation throughout the year. In contrast, the relationship between water level and InSAR coherence was more complex with an out-of-phase relationship for much of the year and a weaker linear correlation. These relationships varied with peatland condition, strongest at the more intact bog (Munsary). InSAR coherence and precipitation were in-phase, but not linearly correlated, and land use/cover had no significant effect. Outcomes suggest that InSAR coherence could, when combined with other data, assist in mapping soil moisture/water level dynamics in blanket peatlands, and identify the timing of precipitation events in areas with non-frontal rainfall
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