This article challenges the Weberian view that modernization stems from the rational legal system, wherein legal-rational authority displaces traditional and charismatic authority as the transformative agent. We contend instead that, in key instances at the forefront of Asian development, monarchy has orchestrated economic and built-environment modernisation. In Thailand and Malaysia, royal interventions have operated outside or behind formal laws governing planning and development, producing significant outcomes for cities and economies. Two case studies illustrate this claim. In Bangkok, the King has played a leading role in shaping urban development. In Johor, the Sultan—later Malaysia’s Yang di-Pertuan Agong—has similarly directed the Iskandar Malaysia development region. These interventions exceed the expectations of constitutional monarchy, relying not on legal-rational authority but on traditional notions of royal power. Thus, monarchy emerges as a decisive agent of modernisation, complicating conventional theories of rationalisation and authority in Southeast Asia.

Two central problems in extremal combinatorics are concerned with estimating the number $\mathrm {ex}(n,\mathcal {H})$, the size of the largest $\mathcal {H}$-free hypergraph on n vertices, and the number $\mathrm {forb}(n,\mathcal {H})$ of $\mathcal {H}$-free hypergraph on n vertices. It is well known that ${\mathrm { forb}}(n,\mathcal {H})=2^{(1+o(1))\mathrm {ex}(n,\mathcal {H})}$ for k-uniform hypergraphs that are not k-partite. In a recent breakthrough, Ferber, McKinley, and Samotij proved that for many k-partite (or degenerate) hypergraphs $\mathcal {H}$, ${\mathrm { forb}}(n, \mathcal {H}) = 2^{O(\mathrm {ex}(n, \mathcal {H}))}$. However, there are few known instances of degenerate hypergraphs $\mathcal {H}$ for which ${\mathrm { forb}}(n,\mathcal {H})=2^{(1+o(1))\mathrm {ex}(n,\mathcal {H})}$ holds.

In this paper, we show that ${\mathrm { forb}}(n,\mathcal {H})=2^{(1+o(1))\mathrm {ex}(n,\mathcal {H})}$ holds for a wide class of degenerate hypergraphs known as $2$-contractible hypertrees. This is the first known infinite family of degenerate hypergraphs $\mathcal {H}$ for which ${\mathrm { forb}}(n,\mathcal {H})=2^{(1+o(1))\mathrm {ex}(n,\mathcal {H})}$ holds. As a corollary of our main results, we obtain a sharp estimate of ${\mathrm { forb}}(n,C^{(k)}_\ell )=2^{(\left \lfloor \frac {\ell -1}{2} \right \rfloor +o(1))\binom {n}{k-1}}$ for the k-uniform linear $\ell $-cycle, for all pairs $k\geq 5, \ell \geq 3$, thus settling a question of Balogh, Narayanan, and Skokan affirmatively for all $k\geq 5, \ell \geq 3$. Our methods also lead to some sharp results on the related random Turán problem.

As a key ingredient of our proofs, we develop a novel supersaturation variant of the delta systems method for set systems, which may be of independent interest.

Neurocognitive patterns in leadership shape employee behavior and organizational outcomes, offering important insights for advancing human resource management (HRM) theory and practice. Using a focused, theory-driven journal-based content analysis of ten high-ranked HRM and organizational journals, this review synthesizes neuroleadership research published between 2005 and 2025. The analysis is guided by six integrated neuroleadership themes (decision-making, emotional regulation, motivation and reward processing, social cognition, stress resilience, and attentional control) across six core HRM domains and interpreted through performance-oriented and sustainability-oriented HRM perspectives. The findings suggest that neuroleadership research predominantly emphasizes sustainability-oriented HRM, with decision-making and emotional–cognitive themes most frequently examined within learning and development, followed by employee engagement and well-being and organizational development. In contrast, performance-oriented HRM emphases, such as performance control and transactional management, receive comparatively less attention. The review highlights the need to expand research on motivation, stress resilience, and attentional control to address the demands of an increasingly digitalized workforce.

On October 7, 1888, approximately 176 Chinese passengers arrived in San Francisco aboard the S.S. Belgic. They carried laborer return certificates—documents that, until just days earlier, had guaranteed their right to reenter. But on October 1, President Grover Cleveland had signed the Scott Act into law, abruptly voiding those certificates. Officially, the act barred only Chinese laborers from returning. In practice, however, Chinese merchants and U.S.-born children of Chinese parents also traveled with laborer return certificates. They, too, would now be denied readmission.

It has long since been accepted that where a defendant induces a primary wrongdoer to commit a tort against a claimant, the procurer may be held liable for the losses and harm thereby caused. Typically, the existence of such liability has been asserted rather than rigorously demonstrated both by judges and jurists. And while some detailed scholarly engagement with this form of liability has been proffered, the explanations on offer have tended to rely less on established principles of law, than on certain theoretical pre-commitments held by the authors in question. The Supreme Court’s decision in Lifestyle Equities v Ahmed has injected some much-needed clarity into this conspicuously underexplored area of law. Yet even now, as this article seeks to show, there is much that remains uncertain concerning the nature and scope of such liability. It therefore seeks to shed light on those matters.

Here we introduce the nine research articles assembled in this special issue. Together they explore the implications for foreign policy and international security of the forced deprivation of individuals’ freedom by state or non-state actors for political advantage – what we and our authors call ‘politicised captivity’. Despite its ubiquity, politicised captivity has attracted surprisingly little scholarly attention. Although some research explores cases of kidnappings by terrorists, the use of human shields, and hostage diplomacy, there are few studies that engage the political implications of captivity in their full complexity. This is particularly odd given the recent increase in scholarly interest in the role of emotions in international politics. After all, popular emotions permeate captivity, and what we call ‘captivity passions’ have at times influenced national security policies. This volume therefore aims to redress the lack of sustained theoretical and empirical attention to how captivity triggers national emotions and affects international security.

The increasing demand for sustainable feed ingredients in aquaculture has driven research into alternative protein sources to replace fishmeal. This study evaluated the nutritional, physiological, and microbiological impacts of housefly (Musca domestica) larvae meal as a replacement for fishmeal in the diets of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Diets were formulated to replace fishmeal with larvae meal at 50% and 100% inclusion levels. Growth performance, body composition, intestinal health, and gut microbiota were assessed over a 16-week feeding trial. Fish fed larvae meal-based diets exhibited comparable growth metrics, muscle yield, and hepatosomatic index to those fed fishmeal and commercial diets, indicating no compromise in growth efficiency. Intestinal histological examination revealed no diet-induced morphological changes, with all parameters remaining within normal ranges, highlighting the compatibility of larvae meal with fish intestinal health. Analysis of gut microbiota showed a shift toward Firmicutes dominance and increased abundance of Clostridiales in larvae meal-fed fish, suggesting enhanced fermentation activity. Blood chemistry parameters were consistent across dietary groups, supporting the physiological suitability of larvae meal-based diets. These findings demonstrate that housefly larvae meal is a sustainable and nutritionally viable alternative to fishmeal in aquafeeds for rainbow trout. The results underscore its potential to reduce reliance on fishmeal while maintaining fish health and growth performance.

We extend the construction of the p-adic L-function interpolating unitary Friedberg–Jacquet periods in previous work of the author to include the p-adic variation of Maass–Shimura differential operators. In particular, we develop a theory of nearly overconvergent automorphic forms in higher degrees of coherent cohomology for unitary Shimura varieties generalising previous work for modular curves. The construction of this p-adic L-function can be viewed as a higher-dimensional generalisation of the work of Bertolini–Darmon–Prasanna and Castella–Hsieh, and the inclusion of this extra variable arising from the p-adic iteration of differential operators will play a key role in relating values of this p-adic L-function to p-adic regulators of special cycles on unitary Shimura varieties.

It is overdue for political science to consider the names of nation-states, the discipline’s primary unit of analysis and the world’s largest, richest, and most powerful actors. I begin this analysis by examining the descriptors used in formal country names, including empire, kingdom, Islamic, republic, democratic, socialist, and people’s. I analyze country names as independent variables, hypothesizing that they have value as signals of political characteristics. To test my hypotheses, I turn to the Varieties of Democracy dataset. I use fixed-effects panel regressions to examine whether countries’ descriptors correlate with the characteristics they name. I find that except for the democratic descriptor, all other descriptors are surprisingly accurate. This is the first step toward developing an understanding of names in political science as well as adding a new tool for comparative politics.

A ‘dialogue model’ of a bill of human rights has been enacted under Australian Human Rights Acts in the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Queensland. This model includes obligations imposed on public authorities or public entities to act compatibly with human rights (substantive obligation) and to give proper consideration to relevant human rights (procedural obligation). Reviews of compliance with these ‘conduct obligations’ have proven the most successful avenue in human rights litigation to date. This article examines the conduct obligations through the lens of four recent significant judicial review cases – Thompson v Minogue (2021) 294 A Crim R 216, Davidson v Director-General, Justice and Community Safety Directorate (2022) 18 ACTLR 1, Owen-D’Arcy v Chief Executive, Queensland Corrective Services (2021) 9 QR 250, and Johnston v Carroll; Witthahn v Wakefield; Sutton v Carroll [2024] QSC 2. The article critiques two issues: (1) the substantive obligation and judicial rejection of the concept of weight and latitude being granted to a decision-maker; and (2) the procedural obligation and judicial rejection of proportionality factors as mandatory relevant considerations. It concludes that, despite these contestable issues, the jurisprudence has reached a certain level of maturity and relative consistency.

Hospital epidemiologists and infection prevention professionals are frequently required to make high-stakes decisions in complex clinical scenarios where evidence-based guidance is limited or absent. These decisions often carry significant implications for patient safety, healthcare worker protection, hospital operations, and legal or financial risk. This article presents three challenging cases originally featured during the “Interesting Cases” session at the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Spring 2025 Conference, with the goal of sharing practical lessons learned and contributing to the evolving literature in healthcare epidemiology. The first case describes the intraoperative contamination of a polyethylene liner during emergency revision total hip arthroplasty, highlighting limited data guiding implant salvage and the role of antiseptic decontamination, interdisciplinary communication, and institutional preparedness. The second case examines infection prevention risks associated with a temporary hospital heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) shutdown during a COVID-19 surge, emphasizing the use of real-time ventilation assessment tools such as carbon dioxide monitoring to guide mitigation strategies. The third case details the application of failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) to develop an infection prevention and control policy for the educational use of non-transplant cadaveric tissue in patient care areas—an area with no existing guidelines. Collectively, these cases illustrate the realities of decision-making under uncertainty in hospital epidemiology and demonstrate how structured risk assessment, proactive planning, and cross-disciplinary collaboration can mitigate potential harm. Sharing these experiences provides practical insights and reinforces that, even in the absence of definitive guidance, systematic approaches can support safe infection prevention decision-making.

Between 2000 and 2019, Portugal and Spain adopted divergent youth-oriented active labor market policies (ALMPs) to address rising youth unemployment. Drawing on data from the LABREF database, National Reform Programmes, and key economic indicators, we show that Portugal targeted higher education graduates with internship and innovation schemes aligned with its transition to a knowledge-based economy. In contrast, Spain developed a dual vocational education and training system centered on apprenticeships to support its manufacturing sector. These contrasting approaches reflect distinct national growth strategies and demonstrate how governments shape ALMPs in line with broader economic objectives. The findings offer a comparative perspective on policy divergence in Southern Europe and highlight the role of growth strategies in explaining variation in activation policies, even among countries with similar institutional and macroeconomic conditions.

Expert-produced information and data hold significant potential for adoption by decision-makers; however, this potential can be compromised by barriers related to language, communication channels, and formats. The literature emphasizes the differing languages, timelines, and incentives between specialists and lay decision-makers who seek practical solutions to real-world issues, rather than theoretical dilemmas. We conducted a mixed-method study, based on a survey and interviews with Italian regional lawmakers and local decision-makers in land-use planning. This is an area characterized by high levels of technicality and hence appears challenging to most decision-makers. We discovered that when they easily grasp the meaning and implications of policy documents, their understanding seems more influential in their legislative behavior. Consequently, a key challenge in promoting evidence-informed policy-making seems to translate expert knowledge into accessible languages and codes for laypeople and to present it in practical and concise ways.

Double white dwarf (DWD) binaries are natural outcomes of binary stellar evolution and key sources for future space-based gravitational wave (GW) observatories such as Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). We investigate how different binary interaction channels shape the physical and orbital properties of DWD systems, focusing on component masses, orbital separations, core compositions, and mass transfer rates. Using the binary population synthesis code compas, we evolve $10^7$ binaries with physically motivated initial distributions of binary parameters. Our simulations reproduce the strong bimodality in the final orbital separations, including a pronounced deficit of systems around 100–500 $\mathrm{R}_\odot$, arising from distinct evolutionary pathways: wide DWDs predominantly originate from stable Roche lobe overflow (RLOF), while close DWDs form through unstable RLOF leading to at least one common envelope (CE) phase. Moreover, we show that the core compositions of WDs provide a powerful tracer of evolutionary history: He-core WDs are strongly concentrated in close systems, whereas CO-core WDs span the full separation range and exhibit a small mass gap in wide binaries. We further identify a correlation between the donor mass transfer rate and the final orbital separation, highlighting the impact of non-conservative mass transfer on the resulting orbital configuration of DWD systems. These results underscore the links among evolutionary channels, chemical composition, and mass transfer rates; thereby provide a unique framework for interpreting Gaia DWD samples and forecasting the joint electromagnetic and GW population accessible to LISA.

Comment les professionnels du droit et de la médecine construisent-ils, au tribunal, le statut légal et l’état mental des patients, et comment ces derniers participent-ils à ces constructions? Cet article s’appuie sur l’analyse de 300 audiences à Paris et à New York, au cours desquelles des personnes hospitalisées sans consentement demandent leur sortie. Dans les deux villes, les tribunaux rejettent la grande majorité des requêtes. Ils le font en mobilisant, selon des modalités propres à chaque système, des répertoires juridiques et des capacités de contrôle qui transforment les patients en différents types de sujets utilisables: des personnes dont les droits sont formellement pris en compte à l’audience, mais qui sont néanmoins classées comme nécessitant les interventions sans consentement que la psychiatrie a les moyens d’assurer. À Paris, les professionnels du droit insistent sur les garanties procédurales tout en s’en remettant aux évaluations médicales du consentement des patients, entendu comme une disposition sous-jacente à accepter un traitement au long cours. À New York, les avocats contestent plus directement l’expertise psychiatrique, mais négocient avec médecins et patients autour de la compliance, comprise comme une acceptation de court terme de la médication. L’article propose ainsi de déplacer le regard des figures de sujets autonomes que les dispositifs médico-légaux et sociaux hybrides prétendent produire vers des formes plus contingentes et situées de sujets utilisables, qui rendent possible la coopération professionnelle et le traitement institutionnel dans un contexte de ressources limitées et d’extension des droits des patients.