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Developing London’s SME green business transition: finance and support services
No full textThe 2023 London Low Carbon Market report indicates that the green economy is valued at £50 billion, accounting for 5% of total employment. From 2023-2025, London Councils’ Green Economy Programme was established to support the delivery of their wider Climate Programme by mobilising skills, supply chains and investment needed for a Just Transition. SMEs play a crucial role in this transition and supporting them to adopt sustainability practices is of utmost importance in realising this goal. The objective of this report is to assess the availability and effectiveness of financial support, business services, and green technology adoption for SMEs transitioning to a green economy. London’s SME business support ecosystem consists of local councils, chambers of commerce, financial institutions, and private business support providers. To gain a holistic understanding, a total of 31 qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with a range of key stakeholders within the wider ecosystem. The discussions focused on current green finance and funding schemes, associated challenges, best practices and key priorities
The role of caregiver attachment in vicarious fear learning in children
No full textVicarious learning is the process through which individuals acquire fear responses by observing others behaving fearfully. The current study investigates how attachment to parents may moderate vicarious fear learning in children. Although attachment to caregivers plays a crucial role in emotional regulation, its potential to moderate fear learning via vicarious experiences remains underexplored. Experiment 1 showed no moderating effect of attachment when strangers served as models. In Experiment 2, where mothers served as the models, attachment quality did not significantly affect fear beliefs. However, attachment was related to avoidance behaviour. Specifically, children’s avoidance of the fear-paired animal post-learning was greater when maternal trust and overall attachment quality were lower. For paternal attachment, avoidance of the fear-paired animal was associated with overall attachment quality and communication. Hierarchical analyses confirmed that maternal trust and paternal trust and communication moderated changes in avoidance from pre- to post-learning. Additionally, the touch box task showed that maternal attachment, particularly alienation, influenced approach behaviour toward the fear-paired animal, whereas paternal attachment did not. Children with stronger maternal attachment and better communication were slower to approach the fear-paired animal. These findings suggest that lower attachment quality is linked to greater avoidance of fear-related stimuli, highlighting the role of attachment in shaping behavioural, rather than cognitive, responses in vicarious fear learning. The results contribute to understanding the complex interplay between attachment and emotional learning, suggesting potential pathways for further research into specific attachment dimensions and other moderators of vicarious fear learning
Strength training vs. strength + micro-dosed swing speed training: a comparison of 6-week interventions in university male and female golfers
No full textThe aim of the present study was to compare a 6-week strength and conditioning (S&C) training intervention (CONTROL; n = 5) against a 6-week S&C + micro-dosed maximal swing speed training (SWING; n = 6) intervention, in University male and female golfers. Pre and post-intervention testing consisted of golf shots with a driver, and physical capacity assessments consisted of an isometric squat, countermovement jump (CMJ), isometric bench press, rotational medicine ball throw for distance, and seated thoracic spine rotation for mobility. When considering within-group changes, the SWING group showed significant improvements in a total of eight test measures (g range = 0.46-2.24; p < 0.05) and one significant reduction in force at 100 ms during the isometric bench press (g = -1.15; p < 0.05). For the CONTROL group, no significant changes were evident for any test. When focused on between-group changes, the SWING group showed significantly greater improvements in smash factor (g = 2.31; p < 0.05), medicine ball throw for distance to the left (g = 1.83; p < 0.05) and thoracic spine mobility to the right (g = 1.62; p < 0.05). Conversely, the CONTROL group showed a significantly greater improvement in CMJ peak power (g = -1.98; p < 0.05). In summary, the inclusion of a micro-dosed maximal swing speed training programme appears to elicit favourable improvements in a golfer’s efficiency of strike (smash factor) and some measures of physical capacity which represent kinematically similar movements to the golf swing
Longitudinal multisource clinical model for early lung cancer risk stratification and screening
No full textObjectives
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with poor prognosis largely due to late-stage diagnosis. Current screening methods such as low-dose CT face accessibility and cost barriers in resource-limited settings. This study develops a lightweight multichannel convolutional neural network for lung cancer screening support through longitudinal risk stratification using routine pre-diagnostic healthcare data.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective cohort study using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database, comprising 99 615 individuals (575 lung cancer cases; 99 040 non-cancer controls). Diagnostic codes, medication records and medical orders within a 36-month observation window were extracted. Log-likelihood ratio feature selection was implemented to reduce dimensionality, achieving 99.8% reduction in computational requirements while retaining clinical relevance. A multichannel Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architecture was designed to process these heterogeneous data modalities simultaneously.
Results
The proposed method achieved an F₁-score of 0.5738, precision of 0.7149, Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUROC) of 0.8316 and Area Under the Precision-Recall Curve (AUPRC) of 0.1617, outperforming baseline methods in precision and F₁-score. Ablation studies confirmed that medical orders provide primary predictive value, while medication features contribute limited discriminative signal in the pre-diagnostic phase. SHapley Additive exPlanations analysis revealed that routine healthcare utilisation patterns, rather than cancer-specific features, drive risk stratification.
Discussion
The lightweight architecture enables deployment in resource-constrained clinical environments while maintaining robust performance, offering potential as a preliminary screening tool to identify high-risk individuals for further diagnostic examination.
Conclusion
Efficient deep learning models using routine clinical data can facilitate lung cancer risk stratification and screening, providing a scalable solution for clinical implementation
The Antarctic Peninsula under present day climate and future low, medium-high and very high emissions scenarios
No full textThe Antarctic Peninsula is warming rapidly, with more frequent extreme temperature and precipitation events, reduced sea ice, glacier retreat, ice shelf collapse, and ecological shifts. Here, we review its behaviour under present-day climate, and low (SSP 1–2.6), medium-high (SSP 3–7.0) and very high (SSP 5–8.5) future emissions scenarios, corresponding to global temperature increases of 1.8 °C, 3.6 °C and 4.4 °C by 2100. Higher emissions will bring more days above 0 °C, increased liquid precipitation, ocean warming, and more intense extreme weather events such as ocean heat waves and atmospheric rivers. Surface melt on ice shelves will increase, depleting firn air content and promoting meltwater ponding. Under the highest emission scenario, collapse of the Larsen C and Wilkins ice shelves is likely by 2100 CE, and loss of sea ice and ice shelves around the Peninsula will exacerbate the current trends of land-ice mass loss. Collapse of George VI Ice Shelf by 2300 under SSP 5–8.5 would substantially increase sea level contributions. Under this very high emissions scenario, sea level contributions from the Peninsula could reach 7.5 ± 14.1 mm by 2100 CE and 116.3 ± 66.9 mm by 2300 CE. Conversely, under the lower emissions scenarios, the Antarctic Peninsula’s sea ice remains similar to present, and land ice is predicted to undergo only minor grounding line recession and thinning. Changes in sea surface temperatures and the change from snow to rain will impact marine and terrestrial biota, altering species richness and enhancing colonisation by non-native species. Ranges of key species such as krill and salps are likely to contract to the south, impacting their marine vertebrate predators. These changing conditions will also influence Antarctic Peninsula research, fisheries, tourism, infrastructure and logistics. The future of the Peninsula depends on the choices made today. Limiting temperatures to below 2 °C, and as close as possible to 1.5 °C (by following the SSP 1–1.9 or 1–2.6 scenarios), combined with effective governance, will result in increased resilience and relatively modest changes. Any higher emissions scenarios will damage pristine systems, cause sustained, irreversible ice loss on human timescales, and spread to Antarctic regions beyond the Peninsula
Assessment of rotator cuff external rotation: isometric vs. isotonic testing modes
Full text linkObjectives: To assess intra-session reliability of isometric and isotonic shoulder external rotation (ER) strength tests and to compare their outcomes. Methods: Thirty-eight healthy subjects (19 females; 19 males; 25.7 ± 6.0 years; 175 ± 9 cm; 70.3 ± 11.4 kg) completed a shoulder ER strength assessment including Prone and Standing ER Isometric tests and Seated 5 repetition maximum (RM) ER tests. Normality was checked with the Shapiro–Wilk test. Reliability was assessed using the CV and ICC (3, k, 95% CI). Linear mixed models examined sex and dominance effects. Correlations and multiple regression tested associations between tests (p < 0.05). Results: All tests performed displayed “excellent” reliability scores (CV from 1.9 to 3.1% and ICC from 0.970 to 0.994). No significant effect of dominance was observed in any strength test. Males showed significantly higher values than females in both Prone (3.8% higher, p < 0.001) and Standing (2.7% higher, p = 0.003) isometric ER strength tests. Prone and Standing isometric tests were moderately correlated (r = 0.62, 95% CI [0.46, 0.74], p < 0.001). A regression model explained 52.4% of the variance in Seated 5 RM ER strength (R2 = 0.524, p < 0.001), with Prone isometric strength emerging as a significant predictor (β = 0.612, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study provides previously unreported 5 RM shoulder ER strength values in healthy adults, with all included tests showing excellent reliability. Isometric measures did not fully capture isotonic ER strength. Males outperformed females in isometric tests, but no gender difference was observed in Seated 5 RM strength
Trade and Sustainable Development Goals in Latin America and the Caribbean
No full textThis chapter explores the complex relationship between trade and sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). While trade has long been a driver of economic growth in the region, its heavy reliance on natural resource exports and structurally unequal labour markets poses significant sustainability challenges. Drawing on both historical insights, and contemporary trade dynamics, the chapter examines how LAC countries are navigating environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability. It highlights recent trade policy developments, trade agreements, and regional initiatives aimed at integrating sustainability into trade frameworks and evaluates the region’s potential to leverage sustainable trade as a tool for inclusive and resilient development in line with the SDGs
Clinicopathological and molecular landscape of lynch-associated endometrial carcinoma undergoing surveillance: a retrospective single-centre cohort study
No full textIntroduction/Background:
Lynch syndrome (LS) is the leading hereditary cause of endometrial carcinoma (EC), characterised by mismatch-repair (MMR) deficiency and typically presenting at an early stage. While initial prognosis is favourable, the long-term behaviour and metastatic potential of LS-associated EC remain poorly characterised. At our centre, women >35 years with confirmed LS have been offered annual hysteroscopic surveillance with endometrial sampling since 2007. This study describes the clinicopathological, and molecular profiles of genetically confirmed LS-associated EC managed at a tertiary UK referral centre.
Methods:
This retrospective consecutive series study was conducted on 14 consecutive genetically confirmed LS patients undergoing surveillance, diagnosed with EC between September 2008 and March 2024. Demographic, histopathological, and molecular variables were collected from patient records, including FIGO stage, tumour grade, MMR gene variant, MMR immunohistochemistry profile, treatment, and clinical outcome.
Results:
Median age at EC diagnosis was 41 years (range 31-57). Most cases (86%) were FIGO IA (12/14), with one IB and one IIIB. Histology was uniformly endometrioid: Grade 1 (71%), Grade 2 (29%), none Grade 3. Pathogenic variants involved were MSH2 (57%) and MLH1 (43%). All tumours were MMR-deficient, p53 wild-type, with 86% ER-positive. All patients underwent laparoscopic/robotic hysterectomy ± bilateral-salpingo-oophorectomy ± sentinel-node sampling; one (7%) with stage IIIB received adjuvant pelvic radiation and Carboplatin-Paclitaxel chemotherapy. After a median follow-up of 8 years (range <1-17), 93% remained disease-free. One patient (Stage IA, Grade 1 endometrioid adenocarcinoma with negative sentinel node on ultrastaging) developed a late metastatic relapse 8 years post-hysterectomy, treated palliatively.
Conclusion:
LS-associated EC at our centre was predominantly diagnosed at early-stage and low-grade, with excellent survival, possibly reflecting proactive early-stage detection through structured hysteroscopic surveillance
Early detection of female-specific cancers using longitudinal healthcare records with a multichannel convolutional neural network
No full textObjectives
Female-specific cancers, including breast, ovarian, cervical and uterine malignancies, lack comprehensive early detection approaches, particularly for ovarian and endometrial cancers where effective population-level screening remains limited. This study aimed to develop and validate a computational method for early detection of female-specific cancers using longitudinal healthcare records.
Methods
We developed a multichannel convolutional neural network (MCNN) to analyse 36-month pre-diagnostic healthcare records from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. The study included 19 954 female patients (596 cancer cases, 19 358 controls) from 1999 to 2013. Log-likelihood ratio feature selection identified top 10 features across three data modalities (diagnostic codes, medications, medical orders). The six-channel architecture processed temporal patterns through stratified 10-fold cross-validation, with performance compared against nine baseline algorithms.
Results
MCNN achieved superior balanced performance with Macro-F₁ score of 0.8443, precision of 0.9135 and recall of 0.7978, outperforming traditional machine learning and deep learning approaches. Feature analysis revealed clinically relevant patterns including tamoxifen therapy, immunohistochemical procedures and cancer-specific diagnostic codes. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) interpretability analysis demonstrated the model’s ability to identify pre-diagnostic phases through temporal healthcare utilisation patterns. Systematic feature selection reduced computational requirements by over 99%, enabling validation on Taiwan’s population-scale National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD).
Discussion
The multichannel deep learning approach enables unified early detection across four female cancer types using routine administrative data, addressing detection gaps for ovarian and endometrial cancers while providing complementary risk stratification for existing screening programmes.
Conclusion
Clinical implementation through electronic health record (EHR) integration offers practical pathways for accessible cancer risk assessment during routine healthcare encounters