This paper engages with recent work on formalization in economics to develop a new perspective on mathematization. Boylan and O’Gorman draw on foundations of mathematics to argue that classical mathematics is inappropriate for economics; intuitionistic foundations and constructive mathematics should be used instead. The use of real analysis would be blocked and equilibrium results undermined. I argue that their line of thought faces several challenges; however, I then draw on their analyses and the philosophy of applied mathematics to propose a novel approach in which questions about mathematization are properly understood as questions about the contextual aptness of relevant idealizations.

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is often missed and misdiagnosed. This Editorial reminds the reader to screen for obsessions and compulsions; how OCD can be distinguished from other disorders characterised by recurrent thoughts and repetitive behaviours; and to facilitate better access to effective treatments for this often distressing and disabling disorder.

We study fibrations of the projective model for the symmetric space associated with $\operatorname {\mathrm {SL}}(2n,\mathbb {R})$ by codimension $2$ projective subspaces, or pencils of quadrics. In particular we show that if such a smooth fibration is equivariant with respect to a representation of a closed surface group, the representation is quasi-isometrically embedded, and even Anosov if the pencils in the image contain only nondegenerate quadrics. We use this to characterize maximal representations among representations of a closed surface group into $\operatorname {\mathrm {Sp}}(2n,\mathbb {R})$ by the existence of an equivariant continuous fibration of the associated symmetric space, satisfying an additional technical property. These fibrations extend to fibrations of the projective structures associated to maximal representations by bases of pencils of quadrics.

In this article, we investigate the higher topological complexity of oriented Seifert fibred manifolds that are Eilenberg–MacLane spaces $K(G,1)$ with infinite fundamental group $G$. We first refine the cohomological lower bounds for higher topological complexity by introducing the notion of higher topological complexity weights. As an application, we show that the $r^{\text{th}}$ topological complexity of these manifolds lies in $\{3r-1, 3r, 3r+1\}$, and characterize large families where the value is $3r$ or $3r+1$. Additionally, we establish a sufficient condition for higher topological complexity to be exactly $3r$ when the base surface is orientable and aspherical. Finally, we show that the higher topological complexity of the wedge of finitely many closed, orientable, aspherical $3$-manifolds is exactly $3r+1$.

This review aims to explore the potential role of folate and related B-vitamins (B12, B6, and riboflavin) in maintaining cognitive health in ageing, focussing particularly on their interactions with the gut microbiota and inflammation. Low B-vitamin status, common in older adults, is associated with poorer cognitive function and dementia. Furthermore, people with dementia are observed to have increased abundance of pro-inflammatory microbes and concomitant higher concentrations of cytokines in their circulation. Therefore, gut dysbiosis and chronic inflammation have been proposed as contributors of cognitive dysfunction. Although many observational studies report that low B-vitamin status, especially vitamin B6, is associated with a worse inflammatory state, the role of the gut microbiota is much less investigated. Pre-clinical evidence suggests higher B-vitamin intakes may beneficially modulate the gut bacterial profile and its metabolic activity, positively influencing inflammation. The evidence however is inconsistent and the few human intervention studies available are confined to clinical populations, or are limited by small sample size or to a single B-vitamin at high supplementation doses. Of note, one study in rats with Alzheimer’s type dementia reported an association of folate and vitamin B12 deficiency with disturbed gut bacterial composition, neuroinflammation and impaired memory. In conclusion, optimising B-vitamin status may help promote cognitive health during ageing through modulation of the gut microbiota and immune function. Well-designed human studies are however required to confirm these relationships and inform evidence-based nutritional strategies for healthy ageing.

Transnational anti-trans actors fall into two camps: traditionally conservative actors who pursue transphobia to extend patriarchy and feminists who pursue transphobia to challenge patriarchy. This article investigates how shared language and practices of anti-trans feminist and traditionalist coalitions enact opposing sex/gender orders. I explain this alliance through grounded theory generated from a critical discourse analysis of my dataset of 1016 anti-trans texts from 175 organizations. I develop my Affective Orientation Threat Structure, which explains the affective governing process of this coalition, and then apply this framework to anti-trans discourses about trans threats to womanhood. I find that anti-trans feminists and traditionalists generate fear via shared threat constructions but frame threat differently in order to mobilize affective energy in service of diverging regulative regimes and sex/gender orders. I argue that the illogics produced by contradictions within this incompatible coalition benefit both camps by maximizing affective disorientation and generating momentum through paradox.

This paper examines the Catarinella Askos in order to explore the funerary culture and social dynamics of the elite in Hellenistic-Republican Daunia. The vessel, found in Lavello (Basilicata) but produced in the city of Canosa (Apulia) in the late 2nd/early 1st c. BCE, depicts an elaborate funerary ceremony with a procession, music, and mourning rituals. The paper contextualizes the images by linking them to material evidence of Canosan funerary practices. It aims to reconstruct the sensory experiences of those who attended and performed at funerals, including aspects of staging and movement, gesture and utterance, and sensation and emotion. By demonstrating how these multimodal spectacles served as arenas for social distinction, competitive consumption, and political consolidation among elite families during Roman hegemony, the paper argues for the resilience of Italian elite culture and social structures rooted in the pre-Roman period.

This paper is in line with research that analyzes the careers of European parliamentarians, adopting a comparative and cross-sectional approach and taking into account previous and subsequent political experiences in a multilevel perspective. Indeed, we propose a comparison between two similar cases, namely two southern European countries that have a quasi-federal system or are affected by an important regionalization process – Spain and Italy – and we examine a rather long time period ranging from the IV to the IX EP legislature. Our dataset consists of 508 observations, 195 relating to Spanish members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and 313 to Italian ones. By relying on the recent systematization, we propose to classify MEPs’ career models – which are our dependent variable – into four types: the EU shorter-termers, the ‘stepping stone’ MEPs, the EU long-termers, and the ‘multilevel surfers’. A multinominal regression analysis was conducted to understand which political factors (party affiliation of MEPs, length of previous career, critical European Parliament [EP] elections) may have a specific impact on each career type. We found that, after the 2014 EP critical election, the probability of MEPs engaging in the EP decreases, as they are more likely to develop a short-term career model than a long-term one. In addition, previous national experience and a regional executive career are the best predictors of a multilevel career.