Radiocarbon dating of disarticulated human remains from Brading Roman villa (Isle of Wight, UK) assigns them to a single event or multiple events within a short duration in the Late Roman period, c. 220/50–360/400. The evidence of the coins suggests the possibility of a brief abandonment of the villa following a potentially murderous event in the 340s or 350s, perhaps to be linked to reprisals taken by Constantius against supporters of Magnentius. This event may in turn coincide with a significant reorganisation of space in the west range of the villa.

The growing involvement of private health insurers within universal health systems has intensified debate over their effects on access, equity, and long-term system sustainability. This paper examines the role of private insurers in the United Kingdom (UK) and South Africa through a case study of the Discovery Group, operating across both settings. We explore how private sector engagement shapes health financing, workforce dynamics, service delivery, digital infrastructure, and governance. Our analysis reveals that the impact of private health insurance on universal health systems is fundamentally context-dependent, mediated by institutional frameworks, regulatory environments, and the stage of universal coverage development. We find that private insurers can contribute meaningfully to digital health innovation and behavioural health interventions. However, expansion also introduces significant risks concerning workforce distribution, financing sustainability, and equity of access. These dynamics manifest differently across contexts. In the UK’s mature universal system, private insurance plays a supplementary role offering expedited access to care for members. In South Africa’s transitional dual system, private insurers more fundamentally shape whether quality care is accessible at all. As health systems evolve, the central challenge lies in developing governance frameworks that enable beneficial private sector contributions while safeguarding equitable access and national health system priorities.

Reinforcement Learning (RL) enables autonomous agents to learn policies from experience, but realistic problems often involve enormous state spaces, making learning and generalisation challenging. Abstraction and approximation are therefore essential. Relational Reinforcement Learning (RRL) offers a way to reason about objects and their relations, and the CARCASS framework by Martijn van Otterlo demonstrates how logical representations can model Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) in first-order domains. Originally implemented in Prologue, CARCASS leverages domain knowledge to create powerful abstractions. We explore Answer-Set Programming (ASP), which is a rich and, contrary to Prologue, fully declarative modelling language, to realise CARCASS abstractions. We evaluate our ASP-based implementation in case studies of two domains, viz. Blocks World and Minigrid. Our results indicate that CARCASS with ASP provides a promising approach to constructing abstractions for RL, especially when domain knowledge is available (our implementation is available at https://github.com/rbankosegger/RLASP-core. Further material (data, encodings, extended documentation) can be found here: https://www.bankosegger.at/iclp26/).

We compute the $K$-theory of the ${C}^{*}$-category generated by order zero, equivariant, properly supported, classical pseudodifferential operators acting on sections of homogeneous bundles over the symmetric space of a real reductive Lie group $G$. Our result uses the Connes-Kasparov isomorphism for $G$, and in fact it is equivalent to the Connes-Kasparov isomorphism. We relate our computation to David Vogan’s well-known parametrization of the tempered irreducible representations of $G$ with real infinitesimal character. When the reductive group $G$ has real rank one, we formulate and prove a Fourier isomorphism theorem for equivariant order zero pseudodifferential operators on the symmetric space, and use it to prove a $K$-theoretic version of Vogan’s theorem.

Learning diagnosis is essential for effective education, with formative assessments shown to significantly enhance academic performance. Diagnostic classification models (DCMs) have been developed to assess students’ learning status and provide remedial instruction. However, the impact of mastery or non-mastery of specific attributes on long-term learning development remains uncertain. If certain non-mastered attributes hinder the growth of mathematical ability, early intervention becomes essential. In this study, we developed a random-effects DCM for multilevel growth curves (RDC–MGC) model to identify the specific effects of attribute mastery on individual-level mathematics ability growth. The simulation studies showed that the Bayesian estimation procedure provided appropriate parameter recovery and coverage probabilities, whereas ignoring the multilevel structure resulted in biased parameter estimates. The model was applied to arithmetic test data from second- to sixth-grade elementary school students. Diagnosis was conducted in the second grade, and the effects of mastery on mathematics ability growth from the third to sixth grades were assessed. The results showed that attribute mastery in second grade was associated with both the intercept and slope of individual ability growth, suggesting the potential importance of early-stage diagnostic information for understanding later mathematical development. Potential extensions of the proposed RDC–MGC model are also discussed.

The Parker Solar Probe mission has observed near-continuous power in parallel ion cyclotron waves (PICWs) in the young, fast solar wind. These waves are unlikely to be directly produced by the turbulent cascade and are likely born of a local instability; yet, they are observed to both cool – and heat – the plasma. We propose that these observations can be self-consistently explained as the natural consequence of PICWs propagating in the inhomogeneous solar wind after they have been driven unstable. In this work, we argue that strong proton heating by a turbulent cascade of oblique ICWs will result in PICWs being driven unstable in a process known as quasi-linear focusing. Because the power in the turbulent cascade is concentrated at scales above the turbulent transition region, PICWs will be driven unstable within a range of wavenumbers parallel to the background magnetic field, $k_\parallel$, that is bounded from above by $k_{\parallel {\mathrm{P}}}^*$, corresponding to the start of the transition region. As unstable PICWs propagate away from the Sun to regions of lower proton density, their $k_\parallel$, multiplied by the proton inertial length $d_{\mathrm{p}}$, increases. Eventually, $k_\parallel d_{\mathrm{p}}$ of the PICWs becomes larger than $k_{\parallel {\mathrm{P}}}^*d_{\mathrm{p}}$ and the waves damp, heating the solar wind. We call this effect ‘cyclotron breaking’, in analogy with ocean waves breaking on the shore. We then discuss the testable predictions of the theory, including a distinct heating signature in which PICWs cool fast protons and heat slow protons at any given heliocentric distance $r$. Finally, we conjecture that cyclotron breaking can lead to net heating by PICWs if the power emitted as PICWs decreases sufficiently rapidly with $r$ that local emission of PICWs is overwhelmed by the local damping of PICWs generated closer to the Sun.

The paper proposes an interpretation of the Table of Nothing in the Critique of Pure Reason, which relates the table closely to the tables of the categories and the principles of the pure understanding. The paper argues that the fourth type of nothing on Kant’s table should not be identified with the impossible of the rationalist tradition, i.e. with the object of a contradictory concept. The break between Kant and his rationalist predecessors with regard to the question of possibility, or to the distinction between something and nothing, is concluded to be more radical than often assumed.

Weedy plants display enormous variation in the phenological traits that make up their life cycle both within and between populations. Facultative winter annual species are particularly interesting because they can adopt either a fall-emerging/spring-flowering or spring-emerging/summer-flowering life cycle at the population level via evolution or at the individual level via within-generation and transgenerational plasticity. Responses of phenological traits to the environment have often been found to be mediated by changes in hormone levels, especially the growth hormone gibberellic acid (GA). We conducted growth chamber and greenhouse experiments using the facultative winter annual Canadian horseweed (Erigeron canadensis L.; syn. Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronquist) to investigate the interactive effects of genetic variation; parent plant life cycle; and plastic responses to temperature, light, and GA treatments. We found that contrary to a prior report, exposing imbibed seeds to 3-4 weeks of cold (i.e., seed vernalization) does not always result in summer annual type growth, with considerable variation found among field-collected seeds from 10 populations. Further, seed vernalization and exogenous application of GA both tended to increase summer annual characteristics, interacting in ways that were largely consistent with the hypothesis that GA is a mechanism for cold-induced life cycle differentiation. Light treatment did not significantly affect life cycle traits, while parent life cycle type had marginal effects on offspring life cycle type. Finally, genetic variation among and within sites explained far less of the variation in life cycle traits than the plastic responses to seed vernalization and GA treatments. Our study proposes that the seasonality of this harmful agricultural weed is influenced by a GA-mediated response to vernalization of seeds during winter, yet highlights the need for further study, given the variability in this response. Insight into horseweed phenology is important for management given that intervention success depends on the timing of deployment relative to the weed’s life cycle.

The role of drama in counselling the early modern monarch is well established, as is the centrality of classical Greek and Roman histories in early modern political culture. Through analysis of the Elizabethan play, The warres of Cyrus, this article argues that Achaemenid Persia should be placed alongside Greece and Rome as a key framework for early modern political discussion. The Achaemenid setting facilitated a vision of rule distinct from the usual classical models. In this Persian context, the virtuous prince was opportunistically ruthless, and unequivocally authoritarian. Performed by the children of the Chapel Royal in the 1570s, and published in the highly charged atmosphere of the 1590s, this drama casts light onto Elizabethan politics during times of marked political tension. Its emphasis on the disjuncture between appearance and reality evokes a political climate characterized by widespread fear of dissimulation. Elements at court, this article contends, met these fears with an emphasis on the stabilizing potential of a prince’s capacity for ‘policy’. At its first performance, The warres of Cyrus seems also to have sought to persuade Elizabeth to act leniently towards the captive Mary, Queen of Scots.

This article analyses how Danish newspapers portray Greenland drawing on Critical Race Theory, focusing on interest convergence and whiteness as a normative framework. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative content analysis of contemporary Danish media coverage of political, economic, and social debates concerning Greenland, the findings reveal a consistent pattern of instrumentalization. Across most articles, Greenland is portrayed less as an autonomous political actor than as a strategic asset, while coverage prioritizes Danish perspectives and only marginally includes Greenlandic voices. This reflects interest convergence, in which recognition of Greenlandic autonomy appears primarily when aligned with broader Danish or Western strategic priorities. By contrast, whiteness as norm operates in more uneven, context-dependent, and subtle ways. The study shows that media discourse not only reflects but also actively reproduces systemic inequalities and colonial power asymmetries, shaping how Greenlandic self-determination is publicly understood and contested.

During the First Indochina War (1946-1954), soldiers from France’s colonies in North and Sub-Saharan Africa comprised more than a third of the French expeditionary force mobilised to Southeast Asia. Throughout the conflict, Vietnamese Communists employed appeals to anticolonial solidarity to persuade these soldiers to join their cause and carry the torch of revolution to the rest of the French empire. This article examines these efforts as well as the fate of those African soldiers who abandoned the French military to join the Việt Minh—many of whom decided to stay in the newly formed Democratic Republic of Vietnam after the war. Initially welcomed as “new Vietnamese people” (người Việt Nam mới), the Africans who rallied to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam represented a postcolonial future marked by the promise of global revolutionary collaboration. Despite favourable conditions, this promise never quite materialised. Tensions emerged as Communist cadres grew anxious about the presence of foreign men who often did not conform to their own revolutionary expectations and African defectors—marginalised by Communist state-making—became disillusioned with the realities of postwar North Vietnam. By tracing this unconventional example of South-South migration, this article reappraises the promises and limitations of Afro-Asian anticolonial networks to better understand how historical actors from opposite ends of the French empire attempted to realise the transnational potential of decolonisation—only to end up equally discontented.

In safety-critical industries such as aerospace, managing uncertainty is important, both to ensure airworthiness and to control business risk. Although design margins are widely used to support safety, reliability and regulatory compliance, they are often applied conservatively, with rationales that are implicit, inconsistently documented or unevenly interpreted. While the use of margins is necessary from a safety, reliability and regulatory perspective, excessive use of margins can lead to undesirable effects such as overdesign, consequently leading to heavier parts and therefore design inefficiencies. While the role of margins in this context is well appreciated, there is a gap between the theoretical understanding of margins and their use in practice, especially in relation to uncertainty. This paper investigates this gap through a qualitative study involving 11 in-depth interviews with experienced engineers and managers at a leading aerospace component design and manufacturing company. The interviews explore the current industrial practices, cultural barriers and decision-making heuristics surrounding the practice of design margins. The findings reveal a reliance on legacy practices and tacit knowledge, which may limit margin transparency and potentially contribute to margin stacking. We conclude with actionable implications for the proper documentation and use of margins in engineering design.

The term ‘childfree’ differs from ‘childless’ not only as a distinction between a deliberate choice and a condition caused by circumstances, but it also indicates the ongoing efforts of childfree couples to prevent conception through contraception. The choice to remain childfree develops gradually, and for many, it is not decided at the outset. Thus, questions arise about the contraceptives that couples prefer and whether these preferences change as their decision to stay childfree becomes more certain. To explore this, a thematic analysis was conducted following joint interviews with thirty-six heterosexual childfree couples, eighteen each from India and Canada, to identify patterns in their experiences with choosing diverse modes of contraception. Distinctive birth control strategies emerged in the accounts of childfree couples from Canada and India. Among Canadian participants, it was discovered that they utilised a variety of contraceptives at different stages of their relationship, whereas most Indian participants preferred and relied on the male barrier method. The differences in the preferred methods of contraception, as well as the actually used contraception, highlighted the significance of how individual characteristics such as education, occupation, and income interact with cultural and institutional influence.

Cultural heritage plays a central role in shaping history, identity, and power relations, and it is particularly vital for Indigenous peoples, for whom heritage is integral to cultural survival. In Indigenous contexts, colonial histories and enduring power imbalances have normalized practices of cultural appropriation through which dominant cultural groups exploit Indigenous heritage. While Indigenous peoples have long mobilized against appropriation, sometimes succeeding in claims to have their appropriated heritage returned to them, discussions on restitution have largely focused on tangible heritage. By contrast, the restitution of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), despite its importance and vulnerability to misappropriation, remains underexplored. This article addresses this gap by reappraising restitution and expanding its scope to encompass ICH. Acknowledging the nonexclusionary and nonrivalrous nature of intangible heritage, it argues that restitution can operate through the return of control over appropriated heritage rather than its impossible physical return. The article conceptualizes restitution of control across three interrelated dimensions: participation in heritage decision-making, stewardship and assurance of respect, and voice in shaping heritage narratives. It contends that restitution of control offers a viable and culturally appropriate form of redress for the harms of appropriation and a means of addressing the structural imbalances that enable it.

When large language models (LLMs) are used for semantic data extraction from unstructured text, producing candidate relational facts from natural language, they may remain unreliable for tasks requiring complex combinatorial reasoning and global consistency. This paper proposes a logic-guided data extraction framework combining LLM-based extraction with answer set programming (ASP). The LLM produces candidate facts, whereas ASP performs validation, inference, consistency checking, and control. Unlike existing pipelines that query the LLM independently for all target predicates, the proposed approach uses ASP reasoning to identify which predicates are logically admissible at each stage and to guide extraction queries. By interleaving LLM calls with ASP derivation, the framework infers logically implied facts without further extraction and detects inconsistencies early. We formalize the pipeline and prove that, under mild assumptions, it is equivalent to the baseline approach with respect to the final extracted facts, while requiring fewer LLM calls. We also introduce a caching mechanism for logic-based control queries, exploiting monotonicity of conjunctive queries over incrementally constructed fact sets to reduce solver invocations. Experiments on ASP-derived benchmarks show that the framework reduces LLM calls and improves extraction quality by mitigating spurious outputs, demonstrating the value of non-monotonic logic programming for controlled semantic extraction.