Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Predictive CyberSecurity: Enhancing Threat Forecasting and Vulnerability Management

The rise in sophisticated cyber threats demands advanced cybersecurity methods that surpass traditional rule-based approaches. This study explores the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance predictive cybersecurity, enabling more accurate threat forecasting and effective vulnerability management. The research assesses various AI modelssuch as neural networks, decision trees, and Support Vector Machines (SVMs) in their ability to predict cyber threats. Employing a quantitative methodology, the study utilizes historical data from cybersecurity sources, threat intelligence feeds, vulnerability logs, and incident reports. Key performance metrics, including accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and Receiver Operating Characteristic - Area Under the Curve (ROC-AUC), were used to test, validate, and train the AI models. Neural networks emerged as the most accurate, achieving 93% accuracy, particularly excelling in identifying phishing attacks and zero-day vulnerabilities. SVM models also performed well, minimizing false positives and increasing detection rates, while decision trees proved computationally efficient and easily interpretable in simpler cybersecurity scenarios. The findings underscore the superiority of AI models over traditional methods, offering dynamic solutions for evolving cyber threats. This research contributes to the field by demonstrating the extensive potential of AI in predictive cybersecurity, providing actionable insights for organizations implementing AI-driven threat detection and vulnerability management

All's Eco‐Friendly That Ends Eco‐Friendly (If Remembered as Such): Memory Processes in Retrospective Judgment of Environmentally Significant Sequences

Retrospective judgments of environmentally significant sequences are biased by recency: sequences ending with an environmentally friendly item are rated as more eco‐friendly than otherwise identical sequences with the same item earlier in the list. A corresponding primacy effect is typically absent. This may have applied consequences for how consumers perceive the environmental friendliness of their purchase decisions, for example. The aim of the present investigation was to reach a better understanding of why the recency but not the primacy effect manifests in eco‐judgments. We found that the recency effect is just as large when continual distraction takes place between item presentations as when it does not. Moreover, memory for recently presented items was better than that for older items, but a filled retention interval reduced the recency effect in both memory and retrospective judgments. These findings support a memory‐based explanation of the recency effect in retrospective judgments and suggest that poor memory of items early in the sequence is the reason why the primacy effect in judgments does not manifest

Citizen Diplomacy Through Peace Tourism

Peace tourism is a niche form of tourist activity that, as its name suggests, is driven by an interest in peace. Peace tourism is a broad category of tourist activity that can have both positive and negative contributions to the host destination. This chapter explores the ways in which peace tourism enables individuals to satisfy this interest in peace by exercising citizen diplomacy. In doing so, it addresses a methodological gap in diplomacy research, which conventionally adopted a state-centric perspective and overlooked the political agency of the individual – and as such, the tourist. The chapter examines the ways in which citizen diplomacy is applied through peace tourism and whether it can positively contribute to sustainable peace within and beyond state boundaries. Using the case study of Israel/Palestine, this chapter identifies initiatives of citizen diplomacy through peace tourism and examines their impact using Anderson’s model of six levels to peace. The study’s findings show that citizen diplomacy through peace tourism can yield positive contributions to peace. The findings are discussed in reference to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework, and specifically SDG 16 on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Dialectical behaviour therapy in the treatment of borderline personality disorder: a commentary

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is a psychotherapeutic intervention that was designed specifically to treat deliberate self-harm (with or without suicide intent) in women with borderline personality disorder (BPD). DBT has received the most research attention compared with other psychological approaches used in the management of symptoms of BPD. This article provides a commentary on a meta-analysis of 11 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the effects of DBT on self-harming behaviours and negative emotions in patients with BPD. The commentary includes a critical appraisal of the methodology used in the meta-analysis. The authors of this article conclude that although the meta-analysis provides some evidence that DBT may reduce self-harming behaviours and depression in individuals with BPD, its methodological limitations, and the high risk of bias identified within the RCTs reviewed, mean that the results should be viewed with caution

Multi-scale attention-edge interactive refinement network for salient object detection

To improve salient object detection (SOD) based on fully convolutional neural networks (FCNs), attention and edge awareness have been used separately as a supporting mechanism for multi-level feature refinement. However, the performance advantages have not been found to be consistent across datasets, because each mechanism has its own limitations, meaning that the absence of attention or edge awareness during feature refinement leads to inaccurate predictions or blurred boundaries. This phenomenon has inspired the development of a new model to enable close interaction between attention and edges, resulting in the Multi-scale Attention-Edge Interactive Refinement Network (MAIRN) proposed in this paper. The proposed model consists of two interacting subnets to achieve not only SOD but also salient edge detection (SED), and each subnet consists of multiple interactive refinement modules cascaded in series with the Multi-scale Attention Refinement (MSAR) module proposed for the SOD subnet to provide edge-enhanced attention and the Edge Refinement (ER) module proposed for the SED subnet to provide attention-enhanced edges. Also proposed is a novel structure for Progressive Feature Concentration (PFC) to reduce information loss in feature fusion. From extensive quantitative and qualitative comparison against 24 state-of-the-art SOD models with and without incorporation of attention and edge awareness, the proposed model is shown to have the most accurate and robust SOD performance on 5 benchmark datasets. Furthermore, it stands out as one of the most computationally efficient networks in terms of the number of parameters and floating-point operations. The code and results of our method are available at https://github.com/LiangBoCheng/MAIRN

Commentary on: Inspiratory Muscle Training, with or without Pulmonary Rehabilitation, for COPD: A Critical Appraisal of a Cochrane Review

Approximately 300 million people worldwide have COPD (1) with a global prevalence of between approximately 10-12.2% (2-4). COPD is a highly prevalent respiratory disease in the United Kingdom, ranking as the second most common lung disease, with approximately 1.2 million people diagnosed (5). In COPD, oxidative stress and sarcomere injury lead to proteolysis and subsequent atrophy of the diaphragm, the main inspiratory muscle (6). The reduction in capacity of the respiratory muscles lead to a reduction in the body’s capacity to generate inspiratory pressures, thus reducing lung capacity and is thought to contribute to dyspnoea in adults with advanced COPD (7). Respiratory muscle weakness is a modifiable weakness and can be targeted with interventions including variations in frequency and duration of Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) (8). Inspiratory muscle training uses resistance to challenge inhalation, stimulating respiratory muscles and potentially enhancing contractile force through hypertrophy (9). A previous Cochrane review examined the effectiveness of IMT, both with and without pulmonary rehabilitation, in increasing inspiratory muscle strength in individuals with COPD (10)

An exploration of the lived experience of receiving an unfounded frivolous complaint in the context of psychotherapy practice

There is broad consensus that the therapeutic relationship constitutes a core common factor for almost all modalities of psychotherapy and viewed as necessary and sufficient in person-centred therapy serving as a catalyst for change. However, ruptures can occur in the therapeutic relationship and at an extreme end can result in complaints, some of which may be deemed frivolous. The potential for frivolous complaints can arise for any therapist, regardless of their competence or integrity, and may come from clients, colleagues, or third parties. Frivolous complaints are defined as groundless grievances, made without merit with the intention to cause distress, damage or harassment for the recipient. Little qualitative research has been undertaken to understand the personal and professional impact of a frivolous complaint. This study was two-phased. A qualitative design was employed. Online semi-structured interviews were conducted in both phases to explore first-person lived experiences of the phenomenon. The findings were analysed from an interpretative phenomenological perspective. The aim of phase (1) was to understand the personal and professional consequences of frivolous complaints on a group of person-centred psychotherapists. The aim of phase (2) was to understand the lived experiences of a supervisor who supported a supervisee through the complaints process. The specific objectives were to highlight participants’ sense-making of receiving a frivolous complaint in the context of their personal and professional lives; how participants managed the complaint and complaints process; a supervisor’s lived experience of supporting a supervisee through the complaints process; the role of the supervisor in the complaints process. Phase (1): eight person-centred psychotherapists including three males and five females from the United Kingdom or Ireland participated in this study. Participants were aged between 50-65, with 6+ years of psychotherapy experience. A case-by-case idiographic analysis was followed by a cross-case analysis. Phase (1) findings indicated the participants experienced an unfounded frivolous complaint as causing enduring psychological and professional harm. Three themes emerged: ‘Relationships,’ ‘Ruptures,’ and ‘Resolution.’ Receiving a frivolous complaint was akin to a traumatic event and challenged personal and professional identity. Participants felt unprepared, vulnerable, anxious, self-doubting, feared judgment and stigma, experienced professional isolation, were affected by a power imbalance due to the burden of proof, faced challenges in the complaints process due to an absence of complaints management training, lacked supportive intervention, and altered their professional practice. Phase (2): a single case study focussed on a male supervisor in the 51-65 age range practising as a person-centred psychotherapist for over 20 years. The interview generated a description of his experience around supporting a supervisee during the complaints process. Phase (2) findings - four themes emerged from an idiographic analysis of the case: ‘Them and Us – Shutters Down,’ ‘Containing the Container,’ ‘Reflecting and Reasoning,’ and ‘Parallel Processes.’ Results indicated that the clinical supervisor experienced isolation, power imbalance affecting their ability to advocate for the supervisee, was disappointed in the absence of complaints management training, and lack of containment. They believed client factors impacted complaints, and their feelings mirrored that of the supervisees. Previous research tended to focus on the effects of ethical violations on mental health professionals or the complainant. The findings of this study fill a gap in knowledge and make a positive contribution to knowledge on a theoretical level by focussing specifically on the consequences of frivolous complaints in a psychotherapy context. On a practical level the results can be used to review guidance on personal and professional support, education and awareness, training and systemic improvements by streamlining investigatory complaint procedures across all accrediting bodies. It may also help foster a culture of empathy and accountability in order to re-establish emotional well-being after a complaint is made. This study builds on previous research by proposing a new framework to improve containment by providing a structured, supportive space to process emotions and foster professional growth for affected supervisors and their supervisees. The phenomenological perspective contributes to existing literature by offering new insights into the lived experience of person-centred therapists and the impact of frivolous complaints

2335P Gender-related challenges for oncology professionals in the UK healthcare system

Background Women represent an increasing proportion of the oncology workforce, reflecting broader trends in medicine. Yet, they remain underrepresented in senior academic, research, and leadership roles within the field. This raises important questions about the role of gender-related barriers in oncology. To explore this, Women for Oncology UK conducted a national survey in 2025 investigating the impact of gender on career progression and discrimination among UK oncology professionals. ... Methods The survey included questions on demographics, career progression, gender-related discrimination, and barriers to gender parity. It was open to oncology professionals across the UK between January and April 2025... Results A survey of 64 oncology professionals, 62 females, revealed significant gender-based disparities in career experiences. Among the women surveyed, 56.5% felt their gender had limited their career opportunities, and 69.4% had experienced gender-based discrimination from colleagues, 40% from male staff, 0.03% from female staff, and 25.8% from both. Discrimination extended beyond staff interactions, with 71% reporting similar treatment from patients; 25.8% cited male patients, 45.2% reported both... Conclusions This survey offers a snapshot of gender dynamics among oncology professionals in the UK, highlighting the urgent need for systemic change to address persistent disparities. While female representation has grown, significant challenges persist, particularly in tackling societal pressures, unconscious bias, and the lack of structural support for work-life balance. Although the sample size is limited, these findings point to wider, entrenched issues that merit further investigation through... Legal entity responsible for the study,,, The authors... Funding Has not received any funding... Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest..

News and intraday retail investor order flow in foreign exchange markets

This paper examines the trading behavior of individual investors using a proprietary intraday dataset of a large pool of retail investor aggregate (minute by minute) long and short positions in EUR/USD. Standard event study analysis shows no significant adjustment in trading ahead of scheduled macro news announcements and trading contrary to the announcement surprise after the event. A panel regression analysis shows that such contrarian trading behavior is mainly driven by lagged returns rather than fundamental macro news. Further, intraday time series analysis shows that the lagged overall news sentiment also significantly affects retail investor trading. Finally, to verify the uninformed nature of retail trading, we show that simple cross-over trading strategies that exploit retail investors’ order flow could be profitable. Overall, our results suggest that retail investors in currency markets are influenced by news sentiment and past returns, but do not appear able to extract fundamental information from public news. Our findings support the differential abilities of market participants to interpret public information as reflected through the intraday trading activity of retail currency traders

The Role of Resistance Exercise-Induced Local Metabolic Stress in Mediating Systemic Health and Functional Adaptations: Could Condensed Training Volume Unlock Greater Benefits Beyond Time Efficiency?

The majority of “specialised” exercise configurations (e.g., supersets, drop sets, blood flow restriction) are being assessed as “shortcuts” to hypertrophy and strength improvements. However, these advanced training techniques may also offer significant benefits for systemic health and functional outcomes across recreational and clinical populations via locally induced metabolic responses. Stress-regulating mechanisms are known to enhance the body’s resilience by facilitating allostasis, the process of coordinating adaptive processes in reaction to stressors such as physical training. Yet, the role of the local metabolic stress provoked by resistance exercise has not gained much research attention despite its wide potential. Positive effects are not only linked to improved muscular endurance, hypertrophy and strength via primary and secondary mechanisms, but also to the release of myokines, hormones, microRNAs, immune factors, inflammatory substances and other endocrine molecules that initiate numerous health-promoting modifications on a systemic level. Resistance exercise strategies that maximise the local accumulation of metabolites are not well defined, although high volume, close proximity to failure and shorter rests seem to be a necessity. Additionally, blood flow restriction training provides a potent alternative for inducing local acidosis, thereby triggering several pathways associated with improved immunity and physical function even in remote muscle tissues. Future research is warranted to further explore advanced resistance training techniques, as these approaches may offer comparable benefits for physical and mental health to those seen with other forms of exercise such as high-intensity interval training and heavy resistance training