Drug-resistant infections have the potential to threaten tens of millions of lives, yet, in many countries, efforts to promote sustainable antimicrobial use and implement national action plans have stalled. As the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threat grows, it is increasingly important to integrate scientific evidence into the national and global AMR responses. We propose to develop a Virtual Policy Think Tank that serves as a bridge between AMR science and policy, leverages global science and insights, and delivers relevant and rigorous evidence that responds to urgent global policy needs. The Think Tank will undertake three streams of work to build coordinated and innovative progress toward global AMR goals. A rapid response stream that responds to rapid evidence requests from governments and other actors will support the implementation of robust, evidence-informed AMR action plans. A capacity-building stream will support the regular use of scientific evidence in AMR policymaking processes. A policy proposal stream that engages academics from around the world will build new solutions for intractable AMR policy challenges. The Think Tank will act as a global leader and resource for evidence-informed AMR policy with the aim of ensuring sustainable antimicrobial use for all.

We are proposing to undertake a series of studies with 60 neurological patients with focal lesions (and 40 matched normal controls), and fMRI studies with 40 normal healthy controls to test the hypothesis that normal rational thought requires reciprocal activation between lateral/dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and ventral medial prefrontal cortex(VMPFC). Our basic strategy is to manipulate the reasoning process by the introduction of emotions. Emotions will be introduced into the reason ing process in the content/substance of the reasoning task and manipulation of the preexisting mood of subjects. We expect to (i) quantify the impact of affective processing deficits (particularly as a consequence of VMPFC lesions) on reasoning processes; (ii) clarify the respective roles of (and relationship between) VMPFC and DLPFC in emotional and neutral reasoning; (iii) determine whether our pilot results are a function of the introduction of emotions or negative emotions into the reasoning process; and (iv) determine whether the different ways of introducing emotions into the reasoning process (content and mood induction) have the same neural basis. Real world human reasoning always occurs against a backdrop of beliefs embedded in an emotional context. Being angry, sad, upset, fearful, etc. affects our reasoning processes, often detrimentally. The goal of this research project to understand the brain functions underlying emotion-reason interactions. We will study the impact of emotions on reasoning processes of normal, healthy adult volunteers using brain imaging techniques and also examine how the system breaks down in certain patients wit h frontal lobe damage. The project will increase our knowledge of the brain basis of emotion- reason interactions and inform the treatment of certain patients in which this interaction is disrupted.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest public health emergencies of our time. Many governments are becoming increasingly concerned about AMR and are aware that urgent measures are needed. In the UK, in particular, the 2016 O’Neill AMR Review, government expert reports like the 2018 Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology on AMR and Immunisation, and efforts of the UK’s Chief Medical Officer indicate the high level of current political concern about antibiotic stewardship. But AMR is not a problem that can be fully mitigated at the national level: tackling AMR requires global and multi-sectoral action. Recent UK leadership on AMR is an important step in the right direction but will not be enough. For international stewardship efforts to be truly effective, what is needed is a lasting international agreement – a grand bargain – on how we collectively manage the antimicrobial commons in order to ensure sustainable access to these life-saving medicines over the long-term for everyone’s benefit. We propose to support dialogue on the necessary components of such a grand bargain by organising two meetings of experts and policy makers to discuss, design, and promote a possible grand bargain on AMR.

We are proposing to undertake a series of studies with 60 neurological patients with focal lesions (and 40 matched normal controls), and fMRI studies with 40 normal healthy controls to test the hypothesis that normal rational thought requires reciprocal activation between lateral/dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and ventral medial prefrontal cortex(VMPFC). Our basic strategy is to manipulate the reasoning process by the introduction of emotions. Emotions will be introduced into the reason ing process in the content/substance of the reasoning task and manipulation of the preexisting mood of subjects. We expect to (i) quantify the impact of affective processing deficits (particularly as a consequence of VMPFC lesions) on reasoning processes; (ii) clarify the respective roles of (and relationship between) VMPFC and DLPFC in emotional and neutral reasoning; (iii) determine whether our pilot results are a function of the introduction of emotions or negative emotions into the reasoning process; and (iv) determine whether the different ways of introducing emotions into the reasoning process (content and mood induction) have the same neural basis. Real world human reasoning always occurs against a backdrop of beliefs embedded in an emotional context. Being angry, sad, upset, fearful, etc. affects our reasoning processes, often detrimentally. The goal of this research project to understand the brain functions underlying emotion-reason interactions. We will study the impact of emotions on reasoning processes of normal, healthy adult volunteers using brain imaging techniques and also examine how the system breaks down in certain patients wit h frontal lobe damage. The project will increase our knowledge of the brain basis of emotion- reason interactions and inform the treatment of certain patients in which this interaction is disrupted.

Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes are intended to reduce SSB consumption, and thereby reduce obesity and type 2 diabetes rates. However, SSB taxes vary greatly in terms of design and have been introduced in a variety of different contexts. It is unlikely that each of these taxes work in the same way. My goals are to 1) improve our understanding of how SSB taxes operate, and 2) produce evidence to inform best-practice development. I will apply established social science methods to explore how we can synthesize evaluation evidence without oversimplifying differences in intervention and context. I will focus on SSB taxation, although this approach could be applied to a wide range of population health interventions. I will use a combination of process tracing, with in-depth case studies, and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). Process tracing is an appropriate method for assessing how and why an intervention makes a difference, and QCA is an appropriate for identifying combinations of factors (“causal recipes”) which lead to intervention success. I will develop key theory around how SSB taxes work and produce evidence which can be used to inform the design of future SSB taxes to maximize potential health impacts. Long term diseases drive poverty, increase healthcare costs and lead to a huge number of early deaths worldwide. Taxing unhealthy products may help prevent such diseases. Taxes on sugary drinks have been introduced in 35+ countries. However, we do not fully understand how these taxes work, or what is the best type of sugary drink tax to maximize health impact. Although these takes are intended to increase prices, they may also work in other ways. I will use existing methods to assess how these taxes work, choosing the most suitable research methods at each stage of my research. I will also evaluate how different tax designs compare, and explore whether these taxes work differently in different richer and poorer countries. My findings should help us to develop better sugary drink taxes that are more likely to improve health. This will contribute importantly to preventing long term conditions worldwide.