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The effect of vitamin D status on markers of inflammation and lung function in adults with cystic fibrosis
No full textBackground:
People with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) are at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency when compared with the general population. This has been linked to decreased lung function and dysregulation of inflammation; but research shows mixed results for improved clinical benefits for inflammation within vitamin D-sufficient pwCF (1,2).
Aims:
The primary aim was to investigate the link between vitamin D status and markers of inflammation and lung function in pwCF. The secondary aim was to determine if vitamin D sufficiency was protective against respiratory multi-resistant micro-organisms infections (MRRI).
Methods: Ethical approval was granted by London Metropolitan University for this retrospective observational study of adult pwCF under St Bartholomew's Hospital. Data regarding nutritional status, vitamin D status, lung function, inflammatory markers and presence of MRRI were gathered. 198 out of 258 participants were included. A Spearman's Rank-Order assessed the relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), FEV1%, c-reactive protein (CRP) and white cell count (WCC). A Fisher’s exact test was carried out in patients with or without ≥3 colonisations and their vitamin D status.
Results:
A sub-group analysis showed correlation between vitamin D status and CRP status (rs= -0.143, p=0.04). Mean vitamin D level was highest when WCC was within range (4-11x109/L) and lowest when below range (<4-11x109/L) (69.4 nmol/L vs 59.2 nmol/L). No association was observed between vitamin D status and FEV1% or WCC. No significance was observed between patients with or without ≥3 MRRI (p = 0.05), however those with ≥3 MRRI were disproportionately affected by vitamin D deficiency than those without.
Conclusions:
There was a significant negative correlation with vitamin D status and CRP, however a causal relationship cannot be made due to the observational methods in this study. There could be benefits to managing chronic inflammation seen in pwCF by continuing to aim for a 25(OH)D concentration >75 nmol/L (3)
Thematic analysis in an artificial intelligence-driven context: a stage-by-stage process
Full text linkAlthough a substantial body of research has explored the application of thematic analysis within qualitative enquiry, considerable variation remains regarding how scholars might operationalise the method. More importantly, the advent of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced additional complexity to the expanding corpus of secondary data. The volume and evolving characteristics of AI-generated content necessitate a critical re-evaluation of existing analytical frameworks. In response to these emerging challenges, this study develops a carefully constructed and theoretically grounded thematic analysis framework to support researchers in conducting analysis within an AI-driven context. Drawing on a previous framework, it highlights the flexibility of thematic analysis and its capacity to generate rich, contextually grounded insights, particularly in the synthesis of existing knowledge through secondary data analysis. This paper proposes the RIPES (Reflexivity, Interpretation, Procedural consistency, Evaluation, and Situatedness) model, outlines the key stages of conducting thematic analysis, examines its application to secondary data, and evaluates both the benefits and the challenges associated with this approach in qualitative enquiry. It aims to assist researchers and practitioners in critically engaging with both primary and secondary data while maintaining methodological integrity within an increasingly technologically mediated research environment
Routledge handbook of populism and foreign policy
No full textThis handbook provides a methodical, comprehensive, and unifying overview of the vibrant yet disparate scholarship on populism and foreign policy. By mapping the debates and existing findings, as well as presenting the different conceptual and theoretical lenses, the handbook provides new insights as to how, whether, and to what extent, populism influences foreign policy. Carefully selected international contributors connect their own work to others to offer a thorough, theoretically informed, and empirically tested academic treatment of the topic across a number of cases where populist actors are, or have been, in power. Divided into four parts (Concepts and Theories; Factors and Processes; Actors and Structures; Issues and Policy Areas), the diverse and comprehensive insights on the global, cross-regional, and transnational dimensions of populism will be of interest to scholars and students of international relations, political science, public policy, foreign policy, political theory, populism, and area studies. This text will also be of interest to those working from the perspectives of Sociology, Law, and History, as well as to the practitioners of international politics
Advanced persistent threats (APT) attribution using deep reinforcement learning
Full text linkThis paper investigates the application of Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) for attributing malware to specific Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups through detailed behavioural analysis. By analysing over 3,500 malware samples from 12 distinct APT groups, the study utilises sophisticated tools like Cuckoo Sandbox to extract behavioural data, providing a deep insight into the operational patterns of malware. The research demonstrates that the DRL model significantly outperforms traditional machine learning approaches such as SGD, SVC, KNN, MLP, and Decision Tree Classifiers, achieving an impressive test accuracy of 94.12%.
It highlights the model’s capability to adeptly manage complex, variable, and elusive malware attributes. Furthermore, the paper discusses the considerable computational resources and extensive data dependencies required for deploying these advanced AI models in cybersecurity frameworks. Future research is directed towards enhancing the efficiency of DRL models, expanding the diversity of the datasets, addressing ethical concerns, and leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) to refine reward mechanisms and optimise the DRL framework. By showcasing the transformative potential of DRL in malware attribution, this research advocates for a responsible and balanced approach to AI integration, with the goal of advancing cybersecurity through more adaptable, accurate, and robust systems
Soil erosion challenges: environmental health and sustainable agriculture solutions
Full text linkSoil erosion represents one of the most significant global threats to environmental integrity, agricultural productivity, and food security. Current estimates suggest that over 75 billion tonnes of soil are lost annually, with approximately one-third of the world’s arable land classified as moderately to severely degraded. Besides decreasing the soil fertility, this process changes the hydrological cycles, enhancing the emission of greenhouse gases, and impacting national economies that rely on agriculture adversely. The current study is a synthesis of peer-reviewed materials, world soil data, and quantitative evaluations aimed at assessing the theory, cause, and effects of soil erosion as well as evaluation of the developing mitigation measures. Review uses an integrative structure integrating comparative case study, GIS-based modeling, and policy review to determine current gaps in the research field and evaluate the success of current interventions to protect the soil. The results indicate that current erosion control measures are scattered and regionally specific whereby there is inadequate integration of remote sensing, microbial stabilization of soils, and socio-economic assessment processes. To bring any meaningful improvements, new research and management approaches should be holistic and data-intensive, combining powerful models with participatory land-management and policy models. The general objective of this review is to improve the knowledge about the multifaceted mechanisms of soil erosion processes, to advance new, interdisciplinary approaches that will build soil erosion resilience and protect agricultural performance and environmentally sustainable stewardship, both locally and globally
Populism and international relations theories
No full textInternational relations (IR) theories form an important background and foundation to any analysis of foreign policy making. This chapter discusses how populism relates to the major theoretical traditions of IR (realist, liberal, constructivist, critical) and the implications for the study of foreign policy. It is argued that the global rise of populism challenges these traditions on multiple levels. It undermines many of their ontological assumptions, it poses an ideological challenge to many of their underlying normative inclinations, and politicizes their insights as populist leaders are particularly apt to appropriate different elements of IR theories in the shape of ‘folk theories’ to legitimize their foreign policy choices. However, the chapter also shows that all IR theories still have the tools to accommodate the practices and ideas of populism in their analysis of international politics, provided some adjustments are made. The chapter discusses how this matters for the study of foreign policy
Turkish foreign policy and ontological (in)security: historical trajectories, contemporary dynamics, and theoretical reflections
No full textSince the foundation of the Republic in 1923, Turkish foreign policy has been shaped by not only material interests and geopolitical calculations but also by deeper existential anxieties surrounding national identity and recognition. This article explores Turkey’s foreign policy through the conceptual framework of ontological (in)security, particularly during the Justice and Development Party (AKP) era. Drawing upon historical trajectories, theoretical insights, and empirical case studies, the paper analyzes how identity-based insecurities influence Turkey’s international behavior. The article further discusses how Turkey’s ambivalent positioning between East and West, its evolving regional aspirations, and its self-claimed middle power status generate a unique ontological dynamic. The contributions to this special issue adopt a multidisciplinary lens to assess how these identity tensions have manifested in strategic decision-making, foreign policy rhetoric, and domestic–international linkages. Ultimately, the issue offers a comprehensive reflection on the existential underpinnings of contemporary Turkish foreign policy
The Godfather doctrine: a foreign policy strategy you cannot refuse
No full textThe Godfather Doctrine: A Foreign Policy Parable (2009) was written by two US ‘realists’ John C. Hulsman and A. Wess Mitchell who contended the challenges which confronted the Corleone crime family in Francis Ford Coppola’s classic The Godfather (1972) were analogous to the geopolitical problems facing the United States in the early twenty-first century. Accordingly, when Don Vito Corleone becomes subject to a ‘hit’, the responses of his sons Tom Hagen (Liberal Institutional), Santino ‘Sonny’ Corleone (Neo-Conservative) and Michael Corleone (Realist) provide options on how the United States could position itself in the multi-polar world. This article will situate Hulsman and Mitchell’s arguments within a growing literature concerning international relations theory and popular culture and provides a critique of their realist perspectives and considers whether such popular cultural analogies to US foreign policies have a validity
An unexpected indicator of success: complaints from perpetrators of domestic abuse. Safe & Together London Partnership evaluation briefing three
Full text linkThis briefing has been produced as part of Year 3 evaluation of the Safe & Together (S&T) London Partnership project, which seeks to transform responses to domestic abuse in children's social care in six London Boroughs. It reflects on the noticeable increase in complaints from perpetrators in the boroughs with the longest engagement with S&T. To explore this, we convened a cross borough action learning set of complaints staff and draw on other evaluation data in relation to the impacts of complaints on front line staff, emerging good practice and how boroughs can fortify and scaffold both systems change and staff confidenc
Synchronisation, optimisation, and adaptation of machine learning techniques for computer vision in cyber-physical systems: a comprehensive analysis
Full text linkCyber-Physical Systems (CPS) seamlessly integrate computers, networks, and physical devices, enabling machines to communicate, process data, and respond to real-world conditions in real time. By bridging the digital and physical worlds, CPS ensures operations that are efficient, safe, innovative, and controllable. As smart cities and autonomous machines become more prevalent, understanding CPS is crucial for driving future progress. Recent advancements in edge computing, AI-driven vision, and collaborative systems have significantly enhanced CPS capabilities. Synchronisation, optimisation, and adaptation are intricate processes that impact CPS performance across different domains. Therefore, identifying emerging trends and uncovering research gaps is essential to highlight areas that require further investigation and improvement. This systematic review and analysis aims to offer a unique point to researchers and facilitates this process by allowing researchers to benchmark and compare various techniques, evaluate their effectiveness, and establish best practices. It provides evidence-based insights into optimal strategies for implementation while addressing potential trade-offs in performance, resource usage, and reliability. Additionally, such reviews help identify widely accepted standards and frameworks, contributing to the development of standardised approaches