A Study of Letters Written to Glucose Monitors by Individuals Living with Type 1 Diabetes and with Experience of Disordered Eating.

In recent years, diabetes technologies have advanced significantly, as such, flash and continuous glucose monitors (FGM/CGM) are more widely accessible. To date, little research has explored the specific benefits or pitfalls that FGM/CGM use may come with for individuals with type 1 diabetes and disordered eating (T1DE). Therefore, this study aimed to explore the relationship that those living with type 1 diabetes and experience of disordered eating have with their FGM/CGM. This qualitative study asked participants to write letters addressed to their FGM/CGM. These letters were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) to explore individuals with T1DE relationship to the device. Four themes were constructed: ‘I Don’t Always Like or Want You...I NEED You... but I Wish I Didn't’, ‘Facing the Facts’, ‘You are Intertwined with Disordered Eating’, ‘You Communicate with Others’. Each theme comprises subthemes. The themes demonstrate how participants appeared to have a dichotomous and nuanced relationship to their FGM/CGM, identifying both positive and negative aspects of their relationship to the device. There appears to be an interplay between the FGM/CGM and disordered eating which may be specific to individuals with T1DE. Implications including recommendations for integrated diabetes and disordered eating care and development to psychological care are discussed

PLUS (Platform Labour in Urban Spaces) Work Package 6 Framing Social Policies (restricted London data)

An archive of the restricted London data used for Work Package 6 (Framing Social Policies) for the Horizon 2020 PLUS (Platform Labour in Urban Spaces) projec

Improving Collaboration Between Primary and Secondary Mental Healthcare via Boundary Spanning: Evaluation of a New Joined‐Up Community Mental Healthcare Model in England

Objectives: Community mental healthcare requires the collaboration of multiple services to meet the needs of local populations. Accessing mental health care in England often involves the collaboration of primary and secondary healthcare services. This paper presents the findings from an evaluation of ‘boundary spanning’ processes and practitioner roles aiming to reduce service fragmentation and improve access to mental healthcare. Methods: Forty‐one qualitative interviews with professionals across local healthcare providers were conducted in Peterborough (East England) to assess the impact of boundary spanning processes and practitioner roles and were analysed thematically. Results: Structured boundary spanning processes and professional roles were found to facilitate communication and knowledge exchange between primary and secondary mental healthcare services, leading to optimisation of GPs' decisions about individuals' treatment pathways, and to improvements in service accessibility. Yet, effectiveness was reported as conditional on GPs' engagement, as well as the decentralised structure of primary care settings. Conclusion: Community mental healthcare organisations could utilise boundary spanning interventions to flex organisational barriers between primary and mental healthcare and optimise accessibility of service users to mental health services. Boundary spanning processes and professional roles can be used to inform national and local care integration strategies

From Pandemic to Policy: Leveraging COVID-19 Lessons to Strengthen Antimicrobial Stewardship

This is a great example demonstrating how research conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic can inform global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) policy, support antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), and ultimately help save lives. This study assessed AMS practices before and during the pandemic using three integrated methods: a systematic review of 13 global studies, a retrospective analysis of antibiotic use in 640 NHS hospital patients, and a cross-sectional survey of 240 healthcare professionals. Despite bacterial co-infections being confirmed in less than 10% of patients, over 70% received antibiotics, highlighting urgent stewardship challenges. The research was complemented by a review of national and international policies, including guidance from WHO and the UK 5-Year AMR Action Plan. Key findings emphasised the importance of embedding AMS in emergency preparedness, improving diagnostics, and supporting interprofessional collaboration. These insights were translated into a policy brief by the South Centre, offering actionable recommendations for building resilient AMS systems and combating AMR globally

Fostering an environment for social entrepreneurship: a comparative analysis across economic development levels

Social entrepreneurship has been lauded for its positive contributions to global economic and social development goals. Yet, how and in what ways varying institutional environments and economic development levels have spurred social entrepreneurial ventures remains a highly debated concept. It remains unclear whether (or not) social ventures are most likely to emerge within developing nations with weak and ineffective institutional structures or from developed nations with more established and supportive institutional mechanisms. Therefore, this study responds to this debate and provides comparative evidence on how varying national economic development levels constrain or enable social entrepreneurship behavior. The study combines data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, the World Development Indicators, the Index of Economic Freedom, and the World Governance Indicators to develop a multi-level mixed-effects model. It uses a sample of 124,642 individuals from 59 (9 factor-, 27 efficiency-, and 23 innovation-driven) countries. The results indicate a positive association with informal institutional mechanisms influencing global social venture formation. However, disparate observations on how some formal institutional factors influence social venture across economic development levels were observed, raising essential questions about formal institutional support mechanisms' influence

Tall Talk About Elephants: Hannibal’s Crossing Through Disciplines

The enigma of Hannibal’s Alpine crossing has captivated minds and sparked debates across centuries, much like an elusive puzzle that resists a definitive solution. This article explores the fierce and often acrimonious scholarly debates surrounding Hannibal’s journey, where the quest to separate historical fact from romantic myth has turned into a battleground for competing disciplines. Military historians, geographers and philologists have all staked their claims, each employing distinct methods to argue their case, yet the controversy has only intensified. As the debate has evolved, the focus has shifted from merely identifying the route to examining how historical truths are constructed amid academic rivalries. The article scrutinizes the rhetorical strategies and epistemological conflicts that have defined this ongoing dispute, revealing how the quest to solve Hannibal’s mystery has often led to sharp intellectual skirmishes. These clashes, far from resolving the issue, have instead highlighted the complexities of reconstructing ancient events with limited and sometimes contradictory information. Ultimately, these debates, as harsh as they may be, have contributed to elevating the Western Alps as a zone of historical attention and prestige, now increasingly exploited for heritage

Deepfake detection in generative AI: A legal framework proposal to protect human rights

Deepfakes, exploited for financial fraud, political misinformation, non-consensual imagery, and targeted harassment, represent a rapidly evolving threat to global information integrity, demanding immediate and coordinated intervention. This research undertakes technical and comparative legal analyses of deepfake detection methods. It examines key mitigation strategies—including AI-powered detection, provenance tracking, and watermarking—highlighting the pivotal role of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) in establishing media authentication standards. The study investigates deepfakes’ complex intersections with the admissibility of legal evidence, non-discrimination, data protection, freedom of expression, and copyright, questioning whether existing legal frameworks adequately balance advances in detection technologies with the protection of individual rights. As national strategies become increasingly vital amid geopolitical realities and fragmented global governance, the research advocates for a unified international approach grounded in UN Resolution 78/265 on safe, secure, and trustworthy AI. It calls for a collaborative framework that prioritizes interoperable technical standards and harmonized regulations. The paper critiques legal frameworks in the EU, US, UK, and China—jurisdictions selected for their global digital influence and divergent regulatory philosophies—and recommends developing robust, accessible, adaptable, and internationally interoperable tools to address evidentiary reliability, privacy, freedom of expression, copyright, and algorithmic bias. Specifically, it proposes enhanced technical standards; regulatory frameworks that support the adoption of explainable AI (XAI) and C2PA; and strengthened cross-sector collaboration to foster a trustworthy deepfake ecosystem

Healing developmental trauma: a pilot study on the discipline of Authentic movement and attachment in adulthood

This pilot study undertaken in China explored an innovative approach to healing developmental trauma by integrating the discipline of Authentic Movement with the Adult Attachment Interview, focusing on how early parental control shaped insecure attachment patterns in adulthood. Presenting three case studies from China, the study examines participants who experienced varying levels of parental control and developed avoidant attachment patterns as coping strategies. Through the discipline of Authentic Movement practices, participants reconnected with, released, and processed suppressed emotions tied to attachment memories, allowing them to experience a sense of secure attachment. These findings provided valuable insights and practical implications for clinical practices addressing attachment-related developmental trauma