As a nuanced and quite domain-specific subset of international humanitarian law (IHL), the law of naval warfare (LONW) occasionally differs from general IHL in terms of rule content, interpretation, and application. For example, the targeting regime in the LONW is primarily platform-based, while the concept of civilian direct participation in hostilities is significantly less relevant at sea. Similarly, the application of the common Article 2 threshold at sea does not always parallel its application in other battlespaces and domains. Such inconsistencies – when compared to IHL more generally – can appear to be archaic and obtuse, but fidelity to the historical provenance and differential interpretation and application of these specialist rules is both essential and, in the current geostrategic environment, worth recalling. Given this predisposition to difference, this article outlines five current risks attending the modern application and interpretation of the LONW: misinterpretation and misapplication of the LONW due to a failure to appreciate its often sui generis nature; the lure of application and interpretation by analogy from shore-based LOAC; the heavy reliance of the LONW on historical examples; the highly lex specialis nature of the LONW in relation to the non-fragmentation trends underpinning the modern international law interpretive endeavour; and the consequences often assumed to flow from the aged nature of the LONW’s main sources.

At midnight on October 3, Swift released her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl—a record that, in just 11 hours, achieved more streams than any other album of 2025—and by 7 AM the next morning, the internet was ablaze with some of its most scathing indictments of Swift’s songwriting. The Life of a Showgirl is the first album Swift has released after her record-breaking tour, The Eras Tour, and follows Swift’s 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department, an album that is deeply introspective, poetic, and saturated with literary references of the most “tortured” kind. In comparison, the internet is right to notice the tone shift in The Life of a Showgirl. Swift’s writing on The Life of a Showgirl gets into character as adroitly as she does on Folklore, Evermore, and The Tortured Poets Department. The difference is, where the culture has been settling into Swift’s nineteenth-century preoccupations and allusions for the last five years, she has now stepped into a mid-twentieth century story-world with the likes of Jacqueline Susann and her 1966 cult classic, Valley of the Dolls.

In many contexts, an individual’s beliefs and behavior are affected by the choices of their social or geographic neighbors. This influence results in local correlation in people’s actions, which in turn affects how information and behaviors spread. Previously developed frameworks capture local social influence using network games, but discard local correlation in players’ strategies. This paper develops a network games framework that allows for local correlation in players’ strategies by incorporating a richer partial information structure than previous models. Using this framework we also examine the dependence of equilibrium outcomes on network clustering—the probability that two individuals with a mutual neighbor are connected to each other. We find that clustering reduces the number of players needed to provide a public good and allows for market sharing in technology standards competitions.

Many, if not most, phenomena faced by political elites are characterized by uncertainty. This characterization also holds for the concept uncertainty itself, with conceptualizations and operationalizations differing both across and within bodies of scholarship. The conceptual vagueness poses a challenge to the accumulation of knowledge. To address this challenge, we integrate and expand existing work and develop an uncertainty grid to map phenomena (e.g., Covid-19; digitalization) or aspects thereof (e.g., vaccines; generative Artificial Intelligence [AI]). The uncertainty grid includes both the nature of a phenomenon’s uncertainty (epistemic and/or aleatory) and its level and enables labeling phenomena as certain, resolvably uncertain, or radically uncertain. We demonstrate the utility of the uncertainty grid by mapping the development of uncertainty during the Covid-19 pandemic onto it. Moreover, we discuss how researchers can use the grid to develop testable hypotheses regarding political elites’ behavior in response to uncertain phenomena.

Veterinary Teaching Hospitals (VTHs) represent complex environments that integrate clinical care, education, and research, posing unique biosecurity challenges. In response to increasing scrutiny from accreditation bodies such as the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE), there is a growing need for rigorous, evidence-based biosecurity protocols. This review critically analyses internationally recognised protocols – including those of the University of Liège, the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), and leading small animal institutions – as well as scientific literature addressing best practices in infection control. We identify key components of successful biosecurity programmes, including risk-based patient classification systems, standardised hygiene and disinfection protocols, and the mandatory training for staff and students. Particular emphasis is placed on the difficulties encountered in teaching contexts, where high human–animal interaction increases the risk of zoonoses and nosocomial infections. A comprehensive set of recommendations is presented to support the development of scalable and institutionally adapted biosecurity protocols, with the aim of ensuring the safety of patients, staff, students, and visitors in VTHs while meeting international accreditation standards.

Tree of heaven [Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle] is an invasive tree that inhibits regeneration of forests. Management of forests invaded by A. altissima often includes chemically treating it and leaving dead boles behind. Verticillium wilt (Verticillium nonalfalfae) infects some populations of A. altissima, leading to localized mortality. Areas with population-wide A. altissima mortality may increase as this disease spreads or is used as a biocontrol agent. Ailanthus altissima has documented allelopathic compounds; stems left to decompose may result in soil legacy effects that negatively impact native plant restoration. The goal of this study was to determine whether soil under decomposing A. altissima wood has negative impacts on native perennial plant germination and growth. Ailanthus altissima was grown in a garden for 4 yr, basally cut, and treated with herbicide. The stems were sectioned and stacked into piles to decompose for 18 mo on grass and garden fabric, after which the wood was mulched. Soil from cores taken under each woodpile was added over potting media in pots in which seeds of three native perennials (purple coneflower [Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench], dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum L.), and false nettle [Boehmeria cylindrica (L.) Sw.]) were planted. Seeds for half the pots were covered with potting media or mulch, respectively. The plants were grown under high- and low-light conditions in a greenhouse for 3 mo. Germinations were tallied, and dry shoot biomass was determined. Pots with woodpile soil had lower germination and biomass production for two of the native species, but mulch reduced the impact. Biomass was greater for all soil treatments with mulch added compared with treatments with no mulch. Plants growing in soil under garden fabric had germination values similar to plants in woodpile soil. This study reveals that soil under decomposing A. altissima wood is likely to negatively impact germination and growth of some newly seeded species for at least 18 mo.

When overdispersion and correlation co-occur in longitudinal count data, as is often the case, an analysis method that can handle both phenomena simultaneously is needed. The correlated Poisson distribution (CPD) proposed by Drezner and Farnum (Communications in Statistics-Theory and Methods, 22(11), 3051–3063, 1994) is a generalization of the classical Poisson distribution with the incorporation of an additional parameter that allows dependence between successive observations of the phenomenon under study. This parameter both measures the correlation and reflects the degree of dispersion. The classical Poisson distribution is obtained as a special case when the correlation is zero. We present an in-depth review of this CPD and discuss some methods to estimate the distribution parameters. The inclusion of regression components in this distribution is enabled by allowing one of the parameters to include available information concerning, in this case, automobile insurance policyholders. The proposed distribution can be viewed as an alternative to the Poisson, negative binomial, and Poisson-inverse Gaussian approaches. We then describe applications of the distribution, suggest it is appropriate for modeling the number of claims in an automobile insurance portfolio, and establish some new distribution properties.

Canadian politics is shaped by three intersecting areas of constitutional law: Aboriginal rights, federalism and Charter jurisprudence. While a canon has emerged on the role of courts in Canadian democracy, it is often asserted that Charter scholarship dominates the field. Is this true—and does it matter? We address these questions through a systematic survey of 423 studies published between 2012 and 2022 in leading Canadian journals, books and edited volumes. We find that most work is produced by legal scholars, is descriptive, focuses on the Charter and examines a narrow range of cases and themes—most notably the court’s relationship with other institutions, its legitimacy and its power of judicial review. We argue that advancing our understanding of courts in Canadian democracy requires moving beyond our tendency to stick to our lanes—engaging core theories of judicial politics, employing explanatory methods and analyzing multiple areas of constitutional law.

Air pollution is a major environmental and public health risk globally leading to millions of premature deaths annually and negative economic effects. One of the key challenges in managing air quality is the availability of actionable spatial air quality data. The sparse networks or absence of air quality monitoring stations in many places means that there are limited data and information on air pollution in places without coverage. The spatial prediction of air quality can contribute to increasing data access for locations without air quality monitoring, ultimately improving awareness of the risk of air pollution exposure for vulnerable people. In this study, we investigated the air quality prediction task in two cities in Uganda (i.e., Jinja and Kampala), with unique geographic and economic contexts. Primarily, we used Gaussian processes to predict the PM$ {}_{2.5} $ levels in the two cities, selected because of their relative importance in the country and their varying characteristics. We achieved promising results with an average root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 18.32 μg/m3 and 16.88 μg/m3 in Kampala and Jinja, respectively. These results provide valuable insights into the air quality profiles of two urban sub-Saharan cities with different demographics, which can in turn aid in decision-making for targeted actions at different levels.

This study aimed to assess the situations involving potential risks of over-exposure to radiation faced by workers during the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), and to prepare effective medical countermeasures. While deaths have occurred at regular intervals at the FDNPP site, they cannot be attributed to direct effects of radiation. Radiation exposure among decommissioning workers is strictly maintained within regulatory limits, and no deterministic or stochastic radiation effects have been observed. High-risk areas include the reactor buildings of Units 1-4 and the filtration systems for cooling water contaminated by decay heat from melted nuclear fuel. The reactor buildings contain a mix of α, β, and γ radionuclides, which may increase the need for medical responses specifically targeting α radionuclides in cases of internal contamination. With nuclear fuel removal in September 2024, there are growing concerns regarding the potential increase in radiation risks at the decommissioning site.

Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, marks a pivotal shift in her branding and marketing from selling intimate relatability to selling spectacle. Once defined by her relatability and diaristic storytelling, Swift now embraces spectacle, excess, and self-mythologizing. For her most recent album, controversy over its marketing and content is polarizing, where some seeing her as unrelatable. On the album, Swift embraces strategies rooted in exclusivity, luxury, and provocative, explicit themes. Swift will not get any more relatable as she ascends to superstardom, and the question remains: Can an artist who rose to power by being relatable and intimate with fans still thrive when that very success makes them increasingly unreachable?

Conceptual improvements are a significant dimension through which local moral progress occurs, both at the individual and societal levels. Michele Moody-Adams (1999) offers a narrow view of moral progress, suggesting that only a deepened understanding of complex, existing moral concepts can constitute moral progress. Consequently, she views the role of moral philosophy as limited to constructing deeper accounts of these concepts. We broaden Moody-Adams’s (1999) account by identifying three distinct types of conceptual improvements that can constitute moral progress: deepening the understanding of existing concepts, creating new concepts, and enhancing the ability to apply concepts. We support this typology with historical examples where such improvements constituted moral progress. Based on this typology, we argue that the role of moral philosophy extends beyond developing and refining moral theories to include the active creation of new concepts and the facilitation of conceptual application.

We show that the ‘ternary’ elliptic functions that were introduced and studied by Du Val in 1964 are the $n=3$ instances of n-ary elliptic functions that are defined for arbitrary integers n greater than unity. We also trace the general n-ary elliptic function back to 1886 and the ‘fort remarquable’ function of Halphen.

Local prosecutors in the United States have significant discretion in the criminal legal system and have traditionally wielded their power in a way that contributes to mass incarceration. Since 2016, however, “progressive” prosecutors have been elected in growing numbers on pledges to mitigate the racialized harms of mass incarceration. While scholars tie progressive prosecutors’ elections to the Movement for Black Lives (BLM), less is known about countermovement efforts—including recalls, impeachments, and suspensions, examples of extra-electoral challenges—opposing these prosecutors. To address this gap, I constructed an original database of all local prosecutors in 2012 and/or 2022 in the country’s 300 most populous jurisdictions. Findings reveal that extra-electoral challenges disproportionately target women of color, disproportionately occur in Republican-controlled states, and have nearly tripled over the last decade. I argue that extra-electoral challenges constitute a novel movement repertoire used by the political right to challenge racial justice efforts following BLM.

Accurate radiation dose measurement is crucial for medical intervention and protective actions. Biological dose assessment directly measures radiation-induced molecular and physiological changes, providing information about the absorbed dose and potential health risks. The Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (KIRAMS) has performed biological dosimetry using cytogenetic assays since 2010. These assays are used for individual dose estimation in various situations, including occupational exposure, accidental radiation exposure, and health risk assessment of people living near nuclear power plants in Korea. Recent advancements in biological dose assessment methods, such as automated scoring and high-throughput assays, have improved efficiency and enabled more people to undergo dose assessment. The KIRAMS continuously explores new methods and targets for biodosimetry to enhance dose assessment capabilities and can contribute to expand the biological dose assessment capacity with the expertise and facilities, responding to large-scale accidents of radiation exposure in the world.

The practice of actuarial science has always been rooted in computation. From the early days of hand-constructed tables and commutation functions to today’s large-scale stochastic simulations and machine learning models, actuaries have continuously adapted their analytical tools to the technology of their time. The rapid growth of high-performance computing, open-source software, and data-driven methodologies now offers new possibilities for actuarial modeling – transforming not only how we calculate, but also how we think about risk, uncertainty, and decision-making. This editorial introduces a thematic collection on Actuarial Software, which showcases recent advances at the intersection of actuarial modeling and computational science.