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Smoke rises from a burning building--the blare of sirens approaches. Firetrucks arrive on the scene. Firefighters jump out to combat the flames to save precious lives. The community applauds them, [...]

The only licensed dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia®, increases risk of severe dengue when given to individuals without prior dengue virus (DENV) infection but is protective against future disease in those with prior DENV immunity. The World Health Organization has recommended using rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) to determine history of prior DENV infection and suitability for vaccination. Dengue experts recommend that these assays be highly specific (≥98%) to avoid erroneously vaccinating individuals without prior DENV infection, as well as be sensitive enough (≥95%) to detect individuals with a single prior DENV infection. We evaluated one existing and two newly developed anti-flavivirus RDTs using samples collected >6 months post-infection from individuals in non-endemic and DENV and ZIKV endemic areas. We first evaluated the IgG component of the SD BIOLINE Dengue IgG/IgM RDT, which was developed to assist in confirming acute/recent DENV infections (n=93 samples). When evaluated following the manufacturers instructions, the SD BIOLINE Dengue RDT had 100% specificity for both non-endemic and endemic samples but low sensitivity for detecting DENV seropositivity (0% non-endemic, 41% endemic). Sensitivity increased (53% non-endemic, 98% endemic) when tests were allowed to run beyond manufacturer recommendations (0.5 up to 3 hours), but specificity decreased in endemic samples (36%). When tests were evaluated using a quantitative reader, optimal specificity could be achieved (≥98%) while still retaining sensitivity at earlier timepoints in non-endemic (44-88%) and endemic samples (31-55%). We next evaluated novel dengue and Zika RDTs developed by Excivion to detect prior DENV or ZIKV infections and reduce cross-flavivirus reactivity (n=207 samples). When evaluated visually, the Excivion Dengue RDT had sensitivity and specificity values of 79%, but when evaluated with a quantitative reader, optimal specificity could be achieved (≥98%) while still maintaining moderate sensitivity (48-75%). The Excivion Zika RDT had high specificity (>98%) and sensitivity (>93%) when evaluated quantitatively, suggesting it may be used alongside dengue RDTs to minimize misclassification due to cross-reactivity. Our findings demonstrate the potential of RDTs to be used for dengue pre-vaccination screening to reduce vaccine-induced priming for severe dengue and show how assay design adaptations as well quantitative evaluation can further improve RDTs for this purpose.

Our qualitative study delves into the life history of a mother‐worker caring for two neurodiverse children, surfacing how the intensive mental load of balancing domestic and professional responsibilities permeates and shapes her identity. Employing narrative analysis and photovoice methods, we investigate how she navigates the logistical and emotional complexities in both roles across three distinct storytelling events: storying (mis)diagnoses, storying care needs and work negotiations, and storying coping. Our primary contribution lies in introducing the concept of the surrendered self, signaling the amplified and prolonged embodiment of one's provisional identity (mother) based on socio‐cultural expectations of who she thinks she ought to be, leading to the eclipse of other possible identities (woman, wife, worker). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this essay, we draw on two reflective interviews with Yosh, leader of the Ukrainian gender-based activist organization Feminist Workshop, illustrating her views on providing care-based services to displaced women during the full-scale invasion by Russia. Situating the interviews within the scholarly literature on care and the contemporary realities of the Russia/Ukraine war, we surface Yosh's experiences and her consideration of more disruptive alternatives of care. In doing so, we assert the need for scholars (ourselves included) to be more willing to reframe feminist assumptions of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Summary: Strategic entrepreneurship research has long focused on high growth and wealth maximization in the creation of primarily economic value. As such, it has largely overlooked craft entrepreneurs, who prioritize skill, materiality, and immersive action in creating broader forms of value. Deep engagement with materials, alongside daily aesthetic (sensory, tacit, embodied) practices are key to how craft entrepreneurs create unique value and strengthen competitive distinction. Drawing on ethnographic data from two craft‐based settings, we abductively generated three dimensions and associated tensions by which craft entrepreneurs leverage aesthetics for strategic entrepreneuring: materializing, enchanting, empathizing. Our key contribution is to unpack the embodied—and very human—processes by which craft entrepreneurs imagine and give life to unique offerings while creating distinctive value for both themselves and their stakeholders. Managerial Summary: The focus of strategic entrepreneurship research is often on economic value creation, along with high growth and wealth maximization. By exploring the everyday practices of craft entrepreneurs, we unpack how creating broader forms of value (e.g., symbolic, artistic, social, cultural) through immersive and embodied actions contributes to stylistic and competitive distinction. For the craft entrepreneurs in our study, remaining competitive is about engaging in sensuous practices that result in meaningful and authentic offerings, for both themselves and their stakeholders. By capturing and exploring these daily practices, along with the tensions that undergird real‐time exchanges with stakeholders, we provide fresh insights into how craft entrepreneurs create unique value while delicately balancing tradition with innovation to strengthen competitive distinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout its 150-year history in the region, the U.S. Coast Guard's presence and leadership in the Arctic have not been more important than they are today. The Arctic is experiencing unprecedented levels of environmental, operational, and geostrategic stress, which requires continuous U.S. Coast Guard presence to protect America's vital national and economic security interests. The Service aims to integrate its distinctive qualities across intergovernmental and multinational teams to tackle emerging challenges in the Arctic. Specifically, the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command will utilize its ties to European Arctic partners and leadership in international forums to share best practices, protect the Arctic region, and promote rules-based order. The emergence of the Arctic region as a strategic imperative for the United States has gained much attention in recent years. As geopolitical competition expands and environmental conditions allow for increased human activity and economic opportunities in the Arctic, a comprehensive and collaborative approach to governance has become paramount. To ensure that the Arctic remains a peaceful, stable, prosperous, and cooperative region, the U.S. Coast Guard must be used as an instrument of national power to model governance and adherence to rules, norms, and standards. This will be accomplished through persistent presence, focused international cooperation, and deepened relationships with allies and partners. The U.S. Coast Guard has served as a national leader in Arctic security and safety and is uniquely suited to deliver expertise and advance U.S. national interests across the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]