The paradox of dogmatism is an argument to the effect that any subject who knows that P can thereby know that any counterevidence is misleading and, therefore, the subject ought to ignore that counterevidence. Regulative epistemology is the effort to develop principles to guide inquiry. The paradox of dogmatism is not typically understood as a regulative problem. But that is an illuminating way to view it. Understood that way, this paper offers a solution grounded in an epistemic policy of “following the argument wherever it leads.”

Military doctrine can function as a tool of change by articulating a vision of the future force. However, how and under which conditions this occurs is contested. This study is structured as a theory-testing process-tracing case study on the use of doctrine by the Royal Norwegian Air Force 1999–2011. Following its perceived irrelevance during Operation Allied Force in 1999, the Norwegian Air Force shifted from a defensive to an offensive posture, culminating in extensive bombings during Operation Unified Protector in 2011. However, Norway did not use doctrine as a tool of change, despite having all the theorised preconditions for doing so. This was due to a tradition of writing descriptive, rather than prescriptive doctrine. Yet, while not having direct effect, doctrine served as a platform for internal debate, influencing changes in force employment, organisation, and equipment indirectly. These findings challenge conventional assumptions about doctrine as a driver of military change, highlighting its indirect role in shaping military discourse and institutional adaptation. The study contributes to the study of international security by demonstrating that the direct impact of doctrine on military transformation is contingent on doctrinal traditions.

This article explores how a queer production of Otto Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor generates a variety of meanings about gender and sexuality, troubling the opera’s conventional cis- and heteronormative narrative and themes. Specifically, it examines the fluid relationships between the production’s materials, activities, and ideas that constantly evoke new meanings. To aid this endeavour, the author adopts Gilles Deleuze’s conception of the possible and the virtual and his understanding of sexualities. Consequently, elusive genders and sexualities emerge alongside normative and recognizable non-conforming ones. The article thus underscores how queer initiatives are pushing operatic genders and sexualities beyond their conventional forms.

This paper employs the Riemann-Hilbert problem and nonlinear steepest descent method of Deift-Zhou to provide a comprehensive analysis of the asymptotic behavior of the genus two Korteweg-de Vries soliton gases. It is demonstrated that the genus two soliton gas is related to the two-phase Riemann-Theta function as $x \to +\infty $, and approaches zero as $x \to -\infty $. Additionally, the long-time asymptotic behavior of this genus two soliton gas can be categorized into five distinct regions in the x-t plane, which from left to right are quiescent region, modulated one-phase wave, unmodulated one-phase wave, modulated two-phase wave, and unmodulated two-phase wave. Moreover, an innovative method is introduced to solve the model problem associated with the high-genus Riemann surface, leading to the determination of the leading terms, which is also related to the multiphase Riemann-Theta function. A general discussion on the case of arbitrary genus N soliton gas is also presented.

We show that the $\infty $-category of normed algebras in genuine G-spectra, as introduced by Bachmann–Hoyois, is modeled by strictly commutative algebras in G-symmetric spectra for any finite group G. We moreover provide an analogous description of Schwede’s ultra-commutative global ring spectra in higher categorical terms.

Using these new descriptions, we exhibit the $\infty $-category of ultra-commutative global ring spectra as a partially lax limit of the $\infty $-categories of genuine G-spectra for varying G, in analogy with the nonmultiplicative comparison of Nardin, Pol, and the second author.

Along the way, we establish various new results in parametrized higher algebra, which we hope to be of independent interest.

This paper critically examines the concept of populism, challenging the predominant ideological definition by highlighting the importance of political relations between populist actors and elites. It argues that populism should be conceptualized as a political phenomenon characterized by conflict with dominant elites, rather than solely as a set of ideas centered on ‘the people’ and ‘elites’. Through a comparative analysis of four politicians – Tony Blair, Emmanuel Macron, Jeremy Corbyn, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon – the study demonstrates that although some actors utilize populist rhetoric, their tendency to generate conflict with elites distinguishes populist actors from other uses of populist ideas. The cases empirically demonstrate that ‘softer’ cases of populism indeed do not contain conflict and, thus, according to my approach, are not really populist. Thus, I demonstrate the inclination of ideational definitions to overstretch the concept of populism.

We study the number of triangles $T_n$ in the sparse $\beta$-model on n vertices, a random graph model that captures degree heterogeneity in real-world networks. Using the norms of the heterogeneity parameter vector, we first determine the asymptotic mean and variance of $T_n$. Next, by applying the Malliavin–Stein method, we derive a non-asymptotic upper bound on the Kolmogorov distance between the normalized $T_n$ and the standard normal distribution. Under an additional assumption on degree heterogeneity, we further prove the asymptotic normality for $T_n$ as $n\to\infty$.

Dynamic soaring (DS) enables unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to extend endurance by extracting energy from atmospheric wind gradients. While prior DS research has primarily focused on fixed-wing platforms using nonlinear optimal control and trajectory optimisation, these methods typically require solving computationally demanding optimisation problems online. In contrast, deep reinforcement learning (DRL) allows computationally intensive training to be performed offline, with real-time deployment requiring only lightweight policy inference. This study investigates autonomous dynamic soaring in a hybrid tricopter UAV, where the two forward-facing rotors provide limited thrust assistance and the rear rotor remains inactive during soaring. A six-degree-of-freedom nonlinear flight model is implemented in MATLAB/Simulink to capture aerodynamic forces and wind-gradient energy interactions. The DS task is formulated as a DRL problem, and three representative algorithms – DDPG, PPO and TRPO – are evaluated. Simulation results demonstrate distinct performance characteristics: proximal policy optimisation (PPO) yields the most stable and repeatable cycles, trust region policy optimisation (TRPO) produces smoother control inputs, and deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) converges rapidly but relies more heavily on propulsive thrust. Compared to DDPG, TRPO and PPO improve net energy gain by approximately 42.0% and 30.3%, respectively. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of DS in a tricopter-based hybrid UAV and highlight DRL as an effective framework for autonomous, energy-aware flight.

This research examined the role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in community transformation through the experiences of six Philippine-based development NGOs and their community partners, who were winners/finalists of the nationwide Galing Pook Citizenship Awards. We used a combination of a backward mapping approach and a multi-case study design in gathering narratives through 16 interviews and 20 focus group discussions with 39 NGO leaders and staff as well as 122 members and leaders of communities who have successfully undergone transformation. Results show that community readiness and buy-in, NGO leadership and brand equity, and support from local government and funding partners helped enable the change. Transformation strategies utilized by the NGOs with the community that catalyzed and helped sustain the change include building trust, empowering the community through capacity building, adhering to standards and constantly monitoring the programs, sustaining responsiveness through emerging programs, and aligning initiatives with local government goals. These responsive and holistic approaches helped enhance the quality of life in the community, enabled community engagement and commitment to change, and institutionalized programs through local government policies/support. The study presents valuable theoretical insights synthesized through a proposed model for engendering community transformation that highlights cocreation and co-ownership of change by NGOs and communities.

This article aims to analyse the formation of the Brześć Kujawski culture (4350–4000 bce) through the lens of ethnogenesis, which refers to the creation of a new ethnic identity. The authors employ the concept of the ethnographic landscape to describe the material and contextual environment in which this process occurred. By conducting a comparative analysis of two central settlements, Osłonki 1 and Brześć Kujawski 4, located 8 km apart, the authors explore the formation of new communities. The proximity of these villages, facilitating everyday interactions, is assumed to provide insights into the similarities and differences characterizing the ethnogenesis process. Similarities arise from bonds that enhance security, while differences persist as expressions of past heritage. This approach aims to deepen the understanding of changes in the Polish Lowlands’ ethnographic landscape and uncover processes of creating new social networks driven by interregional migrations, copper exchange and the assimilation of hunter-gatherer groups.

In this article, I argue that interpersonal cruelty can often be explained in ordinary moral terms in conjunction with facts about social hierarchies. Specifically, I argue that misogynistic cruelty often stems from the sense that certain women are wrongdoers; it often stems from the sense that certain, privileged men are entitled to violate women; and it often stems from the sense that, at least when they threaten such men, women simply do not matter. Misogynistic cruelty is thus more a product of moral vilification, entitlement, and devaluation than dehumanization proper. I explore the implications for the need to posit dehumanization as a mechanism to explain cruelty elsewhere.

Does L2 production involve adaptive control? Previous research drawing on a parallel between Stroop effects in L1 and cognate effects in L2 produced no support for this idea when inducing adaptive control implicitly (i.e., involuntarily). Reasoning that adaptive control might be hard to implement implicitly in L2 production, here, we induced adaptive control explicitly by presenting informative cues revealing whether the upcoming stimulus would be congruent/incongruent (in L1 Stroop) or cognate/noncognate (in L2 picture naming). Adaptive control was successfully induced in L1 Stroop, with informative cues, relative to uninformative ones, having a facilitatory effect. Such was not the case for L2 picture naming, in which informative cues had an inhibitory effect. While there might be several reasons for this reverse cueing effect, this finding represents another dissociation between L2 production and conflict tasks, which likely has implications for theories assuming a close connection between domain-general and bilingualism-specific control.