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Inside ransomware groups: an analysis of their origins, structures, and dynamics
Get PDFRansomware is a major cybersecurity threat facing organisations worldwide and has evolved into a highly lucrative criminal enterprise. Over the past five years, Conti, LockBit, and BlackCat/ALPHV have emerged as three of the most prominent ransomware groups, responsible for major cyberattacks across sectors including healthcare, banking, and critical national infrastructure. While these groups are well-known by name and have been discussed in industry articles, blogs, and government briefs, there remains a notable lack of academic research into the groups themselves, particularly regarding their origins, values, membership, and organisational structures. This paper addresses this research gap and aims to advance academic understanding of these and other ransomware threat actors, contributing to the evidence base through which they may be better understood and disrupted. Drawing on the PRISMA systematic review approach and a critical analysis of over 500 dispersed sources, including ransomware group communications, we examine the origins, structure, organisation, dynamics and nature of Conti, LockBit, and BlackCat/ALPHV. Our findings reveal that, while each group is unique, they share several noteworthy similarities: Russian origins, business-like operations, an emphasis on brand-building, strong leadership structures, a propensity for retaliation, use of ransomware-as-a-service models, and deployment of multi-level extortion tactics. These insights provide an evidence-based understanding of how such groups function and compare, while also offering important leads for wider mitigation strategies. Consequently, we make several actionable recommendations to disrupt the ransomware ecosystem including undermining ransomware group branding, targeting affiliate networks, and publicly exposing key members. To our knowledge, this is the first academic study to leverage an understanding of these groups, to synthesise such an extensive body of dispersed material, and to apply robust qualitative methods to derive comparative insights for the security research community. In addition, we leverage our findings to introduce a new conceptual framework through which other ransomware groups can be studied, profiled, and compared in the future
Subnational Foreign Relations in Africa: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of South Africa and Nigeria
No full textThis book offers a pioneering comparative analysis of the international relations of subnational governments (SNGs) in two of Africa’s most influential geopolitical actors—South Africa and Nigeria. Using an interdisciplinary approach that draws from political science, international relations, and legal studies, we examine the motivations, instruments, institutional mechanisms, and challenges shaping the external engagements of SNGs in these leading African economies. Through these case studies, we provide critical insights into how constitutional, institutional, and historical contexts influence subnational international relations from an African perspective.
Drawing on these findings, we argue that paradiplomacy in Africa is best understood through the lens of developmental paradiplomacy, where socio-economic imperatives—rather than political autonomy—drive subnational international engagement. Our study demonstrates how the need for practical cooperation and the pursuit of local and regional economic development have been central to the international involvement of African SNGs, i.e. a strategy born out of necessity rather than an expression of political self-determination
Technical Note: Deterministic Linkage of Police Force Data and National Drug Treatment Monitoring Service Data
No full textAn O.D.E.SS.I. for public engagement in a new era of science
Get PDFThis concept paper was authored by Joy Y. Zhang, Director of the Centre for Global Science and Epistemic Justice at the University of Kent, as part of ongoing work on inclusive science governance. The ideas presented here are informed by sustained dialogues with colleagues and communities across both the Global North and Global South, focusing on the emerging socio-ethical and ecological implications of engineering biology in environmental, medical, and agricultural contexts. It is offered as an open invitation for further collective reflection, dialogue, and experimentation
More π, please: What drives the formation of unsaturated molecules in the interstellar medium?
Get PDFWe present a computational investigation into the fragmentation pathways of ethanolamine (C2H7NO, EtA), propanol (C3H8O, PrO), butanenitrile (C4H7N, BuN), and glycolamide (C2H5NO2, GlA)—saturated organic molecules detected in the interstellar medium (ISM), particularly in the molecular cloud complex Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2) and its molecular cloud G+0.693-0.027. Using electron-impact ionization data and Born–Oppenheimer molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate how cosmic rays, cosmic-ray-induced UV fields, and shock-induced heating can induce the fragmentation of these molecules, resulting in the formation of unsaturated species with extended π-bond networks. Despite the attenuation of external UV radiation in G+0.693-0.027, these energetic processes are capable of driving partial transformations of saturated into unsaturated molecules, supporting the coexistence of species like EtA and GlA alongside unsaturated nitriles such as cyanoacetylene (HC3N), cyanopropyne (CH3C3N), and cyanoallene (CH2CCHCN). Our findings underscore the significance of high-energy mechanisms in enhancing chemical complexity within molecular clouds and offer insights into the pathways that govern the evolution of organic molecules in the ISM
Dual-Band Dual-Polarized Array Based on Electromagnetic Transparent Antenna for Vehicle-Mounted Base Station Systems
No full textThis paper introduces a novel ±45° shared-aperture, dual-band, dual-polarized interleaved array for vehicle-mounted base station systems. The array integrates a lower band (LB) antenna with four higher band (HB) antennas. To address the issue of cross-band scattering and its impact on higher band performance, we employ an innovative method that involves reducing the aperture size and incorporating lumped or distributed inductors. These inductors function as frequency-selective structures, permitting low-frequency currents to pass while blocking high-frequency currents. Consequently, at high frequencies, these inductors act as open circuits, making the low-frequency antenna radiator resemble multiple discontinuous small metal strips. This approach achieves an electromagnetic transparent (EMT) bandwidth of over 82.9%, making it highly suitable for mobile base station applications. By integrating this low-scattering LB antenna with four bandwidth-optimized cross dipoles, we achieve a dual-band interleaved array. The measured results confirm that the dual-band array operates effectively within the 0.85-0.98 GHz and 1.4-2.7 GHz frequency ranges, maintaining stable radiation performance. The superior performance of this design makes it an ideal choice for vehicle-based base stations
Non-Pharmacological Interventions for People With Dementia Who Live Alone: A Systematic Review
Get PDFOBJECTIVES
Approximately one third of people with dementia live on their own and they face an increased risk of unmet needs and loneliness. This systematic review aimed to identify and describe non-pharmacological interventions that have been evaluated for people with dementia living alone and to examine the effectiveness of these interventions.
METHODS
Following PRISMA guidelines, six databases were systematically searched: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Social Care online, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Studies that reported on the impact or experience of an intervention for people with dementia living alone in the community (not long-term care) and that had been published since 2000 were included in the review. No restrictions were applied in terms of study design or outcome measures. Study risk of bias was assessed, and a narrative approach was used to synthesize findings.
RESULTS
Thirteen studies of 13 different interventions were included, grouped into five intervention categories: home-based dementia case/care management (n = 4), technology (n = 3), social (n = 3), cognitive (n = 2) and psychological (n = 1). There was one randomized controlled trial (RCT), and two economic evaluations that used data from RCTs. Most other studies were small-scale, and only two were evaluated to have low risk of bias. Most studies reported positive or mixed findings in terms of the intervention's impact on the person with dementia or aspects of feasibility. However, studies were heterogeneous in terms of intervention, study design, and outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS
This review of a limited body of research highlights the potential for interventions to support people with dementia who live alone. It also identifies key evidence gaps and the need for more robust and comparable research to better understand what works, why, for who, and how. Involving people with dementia who live alone in the design, implementation, and evaluation of these interventions will be crucial to ensure that their needs and preferences are met
Space use of a diverse megafauna community in a rewilding area in the southwestern Carpathians
Get PDFMost landscapes today have lost much of their historical biodiversity, particularly the largest animals (megafauna). Yet, in some regions declining human pressure and stronger conservation policies allow megafauna to return, and rewilding efforts sometimes seek to amplify these trends through reintroductions. Megafauna, however, return to landscapes still inhabited and used by people, making it crucial to understand how they adapt to such shared landscapes. Here, we studied the space use of a uniquely diverse megafauna community, including recently reintroduced European bison, in a rewilding area in the Romanian Carpathians. We conducted extensive sign surveys (2688 km) to monitor eight large mammals in 2022 and 2023. We then applied Bayesian occupancy models to understand the space use of our target species. Our results show that landscape composition is important for allowing a diverse megafauna community to share space with people. Many species (e.g., red deer, roe deer, grey wolf, brown bear) used different forms of refuge habitat (i.e., topographically complex areas, dense forest) to avoid people. Only one species, the European bison, appeared to be negatively affected by direct human pressure (i.e., active logging). Conversely, land-use legacies such as forest gaps and abandoned pastures were selected by most species (i.e., European bison, red deer, roe deer, wild boar, brown bear). Our study shows that diverse megafauna, including the largest species, can share space with people in mosaic landscapes. These landscapes, especially if human pressure is declining, offer major opportunities to protect megafauna and restore their ecological roles, in Europe and elsewhere
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