7564 research outputs found
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Ape jam 2025: exploring cognitive enrichment
No full textThe workshop will explore how digital enrichment, including touchscreen technology, may be used to conduct research into the cognitive capabilities of great and smaller apes, facilitate welfare and enrichment opportunities and support a range of multimodal inputs and outputs, associated with the screen and the environment
On the distributional forecasting of UK economic growth with generalised additive models for location scale and shape (GAMLSS)
Full text linkThe UK’s economic growth has witnessed instability over these years. While some sectors recorded positive performances, some recorded negative performances, and these unstable economic performances led to technical recession for the third and fourth quarters of the year 2023. This study assessed the efficacy of the Generalised Additive Model for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS) as a flexible distributional regression with smoothing additive terms in forecasting the UK economic growth in-sample and out-of-sample over the conventional Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) and Error Correction Model (ECM). The aim was to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of GAMLSS models using a machine learning framework over the conventional time series econometric models by a rolling window. It is quantitative research which adopts a dataset obtained from the Office for National Statistics, covering 105 monthly observations of major economic indicators in the UK from January 2015 to September 2023. It consists of eleven variables, which include economic growth (Econ), consumer price index (CPI), inflation (Infl), manufacturing (Manuf), electricity and gas (ElGas), construction (Const), industries (Ind), wholesale and retail (WRet), real estate (REst), education (Edu) and health (Health). All computations and graphics in this study are obtained using R software version 4.4.1. The study revealed that GAMLSS models demonstrate superior outperformance in forecast accuracy over the ARDL and ECM models. Unlike other models used in the literature, the GAMLSS models were able to forecast both the future economic growth and the future distribution of the growth, thereby contributing to the empirical literature. The study identified manufacturing, electricity and gas, construction, industries, wholesale and retail, real estate, education, and health as key drivers of UK economic growth
Therapeutic potential of goldenseal root extract on glucose metabolism and weight reduction in diabetic rats
No full textGoldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.) is a medicinal plant that is commonly used in traditional medicine and as a dietary supplement. This plant's rhizomes/roots have been used to treat a wide range of conditions. Berberine and hydrastine are the most active alkaloids in goldenseal. Goldenseal extract demonstrated several therapeutic benefits, including anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, hypolipidemic, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, and digestive protection. Numerous studies have demonstrated that goldenseal extracts and components have health benefits. This study investigated the anti-diabetic and weight reduction effects of goldenseal root extract in Wistar albino rats. Diabetes was induced by administering streptozotocin intraperitoneally at a dose of 35 mg/kg body weight. The diabetic rats were given goldenseal root extract at various doses (150, 250, 350 and 450 ppm/kg body weight), or none, for 8 weeks. Diabetic groups were compared with a non-diabetic control group. After 8 weeks of application in diabetic rats, the goldenseal root extract was associated with a reduction in feed intake (11%; ***p<0.001) and body weight (15%; ***p<0.001), and significant decreases in random blood glucose (33.2%; **p<0.01), fasting blood glucose (45.6%; ***p<0.001), and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) (29.5%; ***p<0.001), while insulin (1.15 times; ***p<0.001) and liver glycogen (1.7 times; **p<0.01) levels significantly improved compared to untreated diabetic rats. The study found that goldenseal root extract has anti-diabetic and weight-management properties in Wistar albino rats. Therefore, it appears to be an effective alternative treatment for type 2 Diabetes and weight management
Embedding Safe and Together into quality assurance systems and processes: S&T practice check list. London Partnership evaluation briefing two
Full text linkDuring Year 2 evaluation of the London S&T partnership project, Quality Assurance (QA) emerged as a salient site to support implementation of S&T into Children’s Social Care responses to domestic abuse. In year 3 evaluators, convened a cross-borough action learning set of QA professionals to explore this further. Session, one revealed an appetite amongst professionals for materials to support their work, and subsequent sessions were spent discussing what this could look like and working together to design the S&T Practice checklist presented in this briefing paper
A grounded theory exploration of therapists' views and experiences of working with asylum seekers using trauma-focused integrative interventions
Full text linkOverview: Asylum seekers (AS) might be highly vulnerable to PTSD due to trauma exposure, highlighting the importance of exploring and implementing Trauma-Focused Interventions to meet their psychological needs. AS have been perceived interchangeably with refugees, despite facing often different social-economic challenges in western hosting countries. There seems to be a limited understanding of therapists' views and experiences in delivering Trauma-Focused Interventions specifically with AS, particularly when the complexities of destitution and the threat of deportation actively influence the therapeutic process.
Aim: A Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) was used to explore the views and experience of their therapeutic practice and how they adapt to their AS client’s needs.
Methodology: Twelve therapists trained in delivering Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Interventions (TF-CBT) to AS within the charity sector were interviewed, however, as the research progressed, the focus shifted to exploring therapists’ views and experiences of integrative therapeutic practices instead.
Findings: The participants described efforts to navigate bureaucratic systems, such as the Home Office and the NHS, while simultaneously attempting to raise awareness of the broader societal context. These accounts seem to suggest the need for casework, tailored therapeutic interventions, and the adoption of an eclectic and integrative approach. The outcomes also seem to indicate that both their experiences (experiential) and views (theoretical) dictate the models that the participants chose.
Discussion: The empirical findings appear to suggest that participants engage in an ongoing process of addressing contextual obstacles and this process might be often framed within reflective practice, where participants draw on humanistic principles as a guiding protocol. Through this lens, participants encourage a shift toward a more human-centred and integrative therapeutic approach, enhancing the efficacy of trauma integrative interventions within this unique context
Anxieties of a self-claimed middle power: ruptures and continuities in Turkish foreign policy in the new millennium and the puzzle of ontological (in) security
No full textThis article examines the transformation of Turkey’s foreign policy under the Justice and Development Party (AKP) through the lens of ontological security. While Turkey has historically been engaged with the European ideal as the manifestation of the ontological security, the AKP era has witnessed significant shifts driven by a multi-layered activism stemming from the self-claimed middle powerhood. The study argues that ontological security provides a crucial framework for understanding these changes, particularly Turkey’s pursuit of a stable state identity amid shifting foreign policy priorities. This study explores the ruptures and continuities in Turkey’s foreign policy and assesses how identity-based concerns shape its strategic actions. In doing so, it contributes to the broader discourse on ontological security and middle power dynamics, offering a nuanced perspective on Turkey’s evolving foreign policy and self-positioning in the international arena
Bangladeshi couple therapists' perspectives of divorce decision-making
Full text linkThis qualitative study explores how family therapists (n = 15) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, assist couples in navigating divorce decision‐making, addressing a gap in research on divorce ideation in non‐Western contexts. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed four key themes: (1) Therapists as experts, (2) Respect for client autonomy, (3) Therapist neutrality, and (4) Clarity in the decision as the goal. Each of the themes is situated in the social context of Dhaka, the capital city, where couple therapy is a fairly new mental health practice and beliefs about marriage and divorce are culturally informed. These cultural beliefs include ideas that divorce is shameful, is not religiously sanctioned, and is harder on women. Future research could focus on the experiences of therapists or other community helpers (i.e., religious or kinship networks) in rural areas and among less‐educated populations to better understand the broader landscape of divorce decision‐making in Bangladesh
Book reviews
Full text linkKrystian Szadkowski (2023), Capital in Higher Education: A Critique of the Political Economy of the Sector London: Palgrave Macmillan, xxv, 271 pp., ISBN: 978-3-031-38443-1
Virna Rossi (2023), Inclusive Learning Design in Higher Education: A Practical Guide to Creating Equitable Learning Experiences New York: Routledge, 344 pp., ISBN: 9781032122298
Rosi Smith (2024), Deepening Participation: The Impact of Cuba's Local University Centres New York: Peter Lang, 244 pp., ISBN: 978-1-6366-7278-6
Gary Saunders (2023), Prefiguring the Idea of the University for a Post-Capitalist Society London: Palgrave Macmillan, xxxii, 256 pp., ISBN: 978-3-031-46648-9
Arun Verma (ed.) (2022), Anti-Racism in Higher Education: An Action Guide for Change Bristol: Policy Press, 230 pp., ISBN: 978-144736472
Membrane cholesterol-dependent dual VEGFR2/FGFR1 inhibition by ginsenoside Rg3 to overcome gefitinib resistance in NSCLC
No full textDrug resistance severely hinders the clinical application of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Notably, resistance caused by rare target mutations (with a mutation incidence rate below 5 %) accounts for approximately 15 % of total resistance cases in NSCLC. Due to the diversity and complexity of these mutations, targeted therapies against them are currently very limited. To address the challenge of multi-driver resistance in NSCLC, this study aimed to explore a novel therapeutic strategy that can simultaneously inhibit multiple resistance drivers and enhance drug resensitization to EGFR-TKIs, overcoming the limitations of conventional single-protein inhibitors. Established gefitinib-resistant HCC827 cell models driven by rare co-activation of two EGFR-independent membrane proteins. Developed a strategy targeting lipid raft cholesterol to destabilize raft integrity, leveraging the cholesterol-modulating properties of ginsenosides. Evaluated the synergistic effect of co-administering ginsenoside Rg3 with gefitinib in both in vitro and in vivo models. Explored the mechanism of Rg3 action, including its binding to lipid raft cholesterol, disruption of membrane anchoring of resistance-associated receptor tyrosine kinases, and acceleration of their endocytic degradation. Co-administration of ginsenoside Rg3 with gefitinib synergistically restored antitumor efficacy in both in vitro and in vivo models, outperforming conventional single-protein inhibitors. Mechanistically, Rg3 specifically binds to lipid raft cholesterol, disrupting the membrane anchoring of resistance-associated receptor tyrosine kinases (e.g., FGFR1 and VEGFR2) and accelerating their endocytic degradation. Structural-activity relationship analyses revealed that the cholesterol-binding capacity of ginsenosides-critical for resistance reversal-is modulated by the stereochemical configuration of sugar moieties at C3, C6, and C20 positions. This study elucidates a novel membrane-centric paradigm for overcoming multi-driver resistance in NSCLC, where pharmacological perturbation of cholesterol-lipid raft interactions by natural compounds like Rg3 enables broad-spectrum suppression of coexisting resistance mechanisms. It not only provides novel insights into the mechanisms underlying resistance in NSCLC but also presents a promising clinical strategy that could significantly improve treatment outcomes for patients
You’re projecting! Global Britain, European strategic autonomy and the discursive rescue of the internationalised state
Full text linkHow do leaders respond to costly demands to re-nationalise political control? The re-shaping of state-society relations engendered by globalization has produced a backlash in the form of populist demands to ‘take back control’, yet leaders face significant costs in responding to demands to re-nationalise highly interdependent economies. In this article, we show how leaders respond to these demands by crafting new discourses of their polity’s position in the international system, a process we term ‘discursive externalisation’. Externalisation is a cheap way of responding to domestic pressures which avoids powerful domestic veto players while benefiting from the rallying effects of foreign policy renewal. By keeping rhetoric broad, externalisation can co-opt elements of the status quo in favour of new representations of state-society relations and a new basis for political legitimacy. We demonstrate our argument empirically by examining the articulation of new discourses in the foreign and security policy domain after the 2016 Brexit referendum in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. We show how ideas of ‘Global Britain’ and ‘European strategic autonomy’ both helped to re-articulate the relationship between the polity and its citizens by externalising agendas for internal reform, transforming crises of legitimacy into discourses of international renewal