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Ontologies of English as an international language
No full textThe study of the global spread of English as an International Language (EIL) has prompted reflection on its ontological status. Until a few decades ago, the thing that English teachers teach, learners learn, and users use, was assumed to be a standardised linguistic code, with one correct form. This monolithic conceptualisation has been challenged from different perspectives, including World Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca, translanguaging, posthumanism, and usage-based linguistics. This chapter examines different ontologies of EIL, assesses their compatibility, considers some of their practical implications, and argues for greater ontological awareness in EIL research and teaching
'"United as free and equal": The New Commonwealth, Prime Ministers' Meetings, and the Korean War
Get PDFThe New Commonwealth emerged from the first wave of decolonisation in South Asia in the late 1940s. The seminal moment occurred with the signing of the 1949 London Declaration that allowed republican India to remain a Commonwealth member. However, India, Pakistan and Ceylon were divided at the first two Prime Ministers’ Meeting after independence and made no attempt to unite in opposition to the Old ‘white’ Commonwealth members. This article will thus demonstrate that the three Prime Ministers’ Meetings that took place during the Korean War marked a watershed for the New Commonwealth. In 1951 with the Korean War close to escalating into a global conflict, Jawaharlal Nehru, Liaquat Ali Khan and D. S. Senanayake worked in unison to forge a Commonwealth policy to end the fighting before Washington pressed the UN to brand China an aggressor and used its atomic arsenal. This effort met resistance from the Old Commonwealth countries but at least partially achieved its goal. The 1951 Prime Ministers’ Meeting, therefore, set the precedent for united New Commonwealth action at future Prime Ministers’ Meetings. Nevertheless, at the 1952 and 1953 Prime Ministers’ Meetings conditions were not right for further New Commonwealth attempts to influence Commonwealth policy
Coastal Communities and Educational Inequalities: Investigating the Barriers to Accessing University Among Young People on the North Yorkshire Coast
Get PDFThis article examines the under-representation of young people from the North Yorkshire Coast in higher education (HE). The study explores how entrenched socio-economic conditions shape aspirations and educational pathways through semi-structured interviews with students, teachers, and policymakers. Using Bourdieu's concept of habitus, we highlight the influence of ingrained dispositions, limited capital, and temporal experiences on HE access. The research critiques neoliberal notions of aspirational citizenship, which neglect structural challenges faced by coastal communities. Thereby underscoring the need for policy reforms that address students' unique socio-cultural and economic realities in deindustrialised coastal areas to foster equitable educational opportunities
Integrating AI into Cancer Immunotherapy—A Narrative Review of Current Applications and Future Directions
Get PDFBackground: Cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation often result in significant side effects and varied patient outcomes. Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising alternative, harnessing the immune system to target cancer cells. However, the complexity of immune responses and tumor heterogeneity challenges its effectiveness. Objective: This mini-narrative review explores the role of artificial intelligence [AI] in enhancing the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy, predicting patient responses, and discovering novel therapeutic targets. Methods: A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted, focusing on studies published between 2010 and 2024 that examined the application of AI in cancer immunotherapy. Databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science were utilized, and articles were selected based on relevance to the topic. Results: AI has significantly contributed to identifying biomarkers that predict immunotherapy efficacy by analyzing genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data. It also optimizes combination therapies by predicting the most effective treatment protocols. AI-driven predictive models help assess patient response to immunotherapy, guiding clinical decision-making and minimizing side effects. Additionally, AI facilitates the discovery of novel therapeutic targets, such as neoantigens, enabling the development of personalized immunotherapies. Conclusions: AI holds immense potential in transforming cancer immunotherapy. However, challenges related to data privacy, algorithm transparency, and clinical integration must be addressed. Overcoming these hurdles will likely make AI a central component of future cancer immunotherapy, offering more personalized and effective treatments
Unravelling Net Zero practices, strategies and barriers among businesses in a UK region
Get PDFThis paper investigates how far business organisations are moving towards Net Zero goals . Using a qualitative methodology consisting of 18 semi-structured interviews with senior managers of businesses in a region in the UK, this research looked at the shared experiences in terms of the practices, strategies and barriers that they face. Technological transformation and management practices improvement were identified as commonly used strategies among businesses. Whereas limited supporting infrastructure, guidance from government and funding posed significant barriers to transitioning towards Net Zero. This paper classified the participating businesses according to Berger-Schmitz et al. (2022)’s framework, where most organisations followed an “opportunity -seeking” response, with the exception of the agricultural sector, which followed a “conformance” response, interestingly no “avoidance” response organisations were found. Recommendations for businesses as well as future research avenues are provided.
Keywords: Net zero strategies, technological transformation, management practices improvement, qualitative methodology
The Impact of AI-driven Remote Patient Monitoring on Cancer Care: A Systematic Review.
Get PDFThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic necessitated a shift in healthcare delivery, emphasizing the need for remote patient monitoring (RPM) to minimize infection risks. This review aimed to evaluate the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in RPM for cancer patients, exploring its impact on patient outcomes and implications for future healthcare practices. A qualitative systematic review was conducted using keyword searches across four databases: Embase OVID, PubMed, PsychInfo, and Web of Science. After removing duplicates and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, the selected studies underwent quality assessment using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tools and a risk of bias assessment. A thematic analysis was then performed using Delve, an application that facilitates deductive coding, to identify and explore themes related to AI in RPM. The search yielded 170 papers, from which 11 quantitative studies were selected for detailed analysis. Deductive coding resulted in the generation of 12 codes, leading to the identification of six subthemes and the construction of two primary themes: Efficacy of the RPM intervention and patient factors. AI systems in RPM show significant potential for enhancing cancer patient care and outcomes. However, this review could not conclusively determine that RPM provides superior outcomes compared to traditional face-to-face care. The findings underscore the preliminary nature of AI in medicine, highlighting the need for larger-scale, long-term studies to fully understand the benefits and limitations of AI in RPM for cancer care. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2025 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.
Exploring the Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Meta Marketing for branding the Cloud Restaurants
Get PDFThe rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly influenced marketing, including the branding strategies of cloud restaurants. This study explores AI's role in enhancing Meta marketing strategies, focusing on personalized content, data-driven insights, innovation, and foresight. Using a quantitative approach with 150 respondents across Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, and London, regression analysis reveals a strong positive impact of these factors on branding performance. These findings underscore AI's potential to transform customer engagement and brand influence, offering actionable insights for cloud restaurant marketing strategies
Over and Out? A report into the state and status of cricket in northern, working-class schools
Get PDFEvidence suggests that active and inclusive introductory versions of the game that utilise a softer ball remain popular and effective in terms of promoting engagement and participation in the game of cricket for young people of primary school age. However, in recent years, research, policy documents and anecdotal responses from teachers have suggested that many PE staff have become increasingly less likely and/or able to introduce and develop the hardball game to boys attending state secondary schools via the PE curriculum as well as extracurricular practices and fixtures. Seemingly constrained by access to appropriate facilities and equipment, the confidence and competence of many PE staff to effectively teach a hardball version of the game, and broader cultural issues associated with young, working-class boys’ contemporary leisure preferences, there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that participation and interest in the game of cricket – and the hardball version of the game in particular - has decreased significantly among many young working-class male pupils.
In contrast, there appears to be continued prominence and growth of the game within the private education sector, and with many fee-paying (often single-sex) schools able to offer a range of indoor training facilities, maintained grass cricket wickets, specialist elite cricket coaches, and regular competitive fixtures, it is perhaps not surprising that male county cricket talent pathways, professional county cricket clubs and England international squads are becoming increasing dominated by players who have benefitted from the opportunities, guidance, and support associated with a private education.
Whilst there are many state secondary schools that continue to successfully promote and develop the hardball game for male pupils in PE and via inter-school fixtures, it is apparent that cricket in many state schools is in a state of concern and crisis – particularly in certain areas of the country. It is within this context that this report aims to gain a picture of the state of the game for young males living in working-class communities, to understand how and why the apparent constraints on interest, participation and development have emerged, and perhaps more importantly to suggest some realistic and effective recommendations for increasing participation, progress, and performance in the game of cricket and the hard ball version of the game in particula
Discounting past experience and the utility of memory: an empirical study
Get PDFIt has been argued that adult humans are absolutely time biased towards the future, at least as far as purely hedonic experiences (pain/pleasure) are concerned. What this means is that they assign zero value to them once they are in the past. Recent empirical studies have cast doubt on this claim, suggesting that while adults hold asymmetrical hedonic preferences – preferring painful experiences to be in the past and pleasurable experiences to lie in the future – these preferences are not absolute and are often abandoned when the quantity of pain or pleasure under consideration is greater in the past than in the future. Research has also examined whether such preferences might be affected by the utility people assign to experiential memories, since the recollection of past events can itself be pleasurable or aversive. We extend this line of research, investigating the utility people assign to experiential memories regardless of tense, and provide – to our knowledge – the first quantitative attempt at directly comparing the relative subjective weightings given to ‘primary’ experiences (i.e., living through the event first-hand) and ‘secondary’ (i.e., recollective or anticipatory) experiences. We find that when painful events are located in the past, the importance of the memory of the pain appears to be enhanced relative to its importance when they are located in the future. We also find extensive individual differences in hedonic preferences, reasons to adopt them, and willingness to trade them off. This research allows for a clearer picture of the utility people assign to the consumption of recollective experiences and of how this contributes to, or perhaps masks, time biases
