Welfare assessments can harm the mental health of neurodivergent individuals and people with intellectual disabilities, yet this remains under-recognised in clinical practice. This article integrates three perspectives: media reporting on private profit in UK disability assessments; a clinical case of an autistic man whose deterioration was triggered by Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit reassessment; and research on the experiences of people with learning disabilities. Common themes include fear, shame, loss of agency and reactivated trauma. Psychiatrists should view welfare systems as determinants of mental health, adopt trauma-informed, neurodiversity-aware approaches and support patients through advocacy and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Consider a quadratic polynomial $Q(\xi_{1},\ldots,\xi_{n})$ of independent Rademacher random variables $\xi_{1},\ldots,\xi_{n}$. To what extent can $Q(\xi_{1},\ldots,\xi_{n})$ concentrate on a single value? This quadratic version of the classical Littlewood–Offord problem was popularised by Costello, Tao and Vu in their study of symmetric random matrices. In this paper, we obtain an essentially optimal bound for this problem, as conjectured by Nguyen and Vu. Specifically, if $Q(\xi_{1},\ldots,\xi_{n})$ ‘robustly depends on at least m of the $\xi_{i}$’ in the sense that there is no way to pin down the value of $Q(\xi_{1},\ldots,\xi_{n})$ by fixing values for fewer than m of the variables $\xi_{i}$, then we have $\mathrm{Pr}[Q(\xi_{1},\ldots,\xi_{n})=0]\le O(1/\sqrt{m})$. This also implies a similar result in the case where $\xi_{1},\ldots,\xi_{n}$ have arbitrary distributions. Our proof combines a number of ideas that may be of independent interest, including an inductive decoupling scheme that reduces quadratic anticoncentration problems to high-dimensional linear anticoncentration problems. Also, one application of our main result is the resolution of a conjecture of Alon, Hefetz, Krivelevich and Tyomkyn related to graph inducibility.

This article challenges historians’ recent Russian-Ukrainian war-related claims that the field of Russian history in the west, and in the United States in particular, has overlooked the imperial and colonial dimensions of Russia’s past. It argues that far from overlooking Russian and Soviet imperialism and colonialism and marginalizing the histories of non-Russian peoples in that context, Anglophone historians have been documenting and explaining them for almost a century. It shows that as early as the 1940s and 50s, Michael Karpovich and his former Harvard University students emphasized the need to pay greater attention to the history of Russian imperial expansion and colonization, Russia’s borderlands and its non-Russian peoples. By tracing the ways in which Anglophone historians over the next fifty years sought to make sense of Russian and Soviet empire, it becomes possible to see the so-called “imperial turn” in Russian historiography as a return to research agendas that had been established decades earlier and helped make possible the production of historical accounts of Russia arguably free from what Mykhailo Hrushevsʹkyi famously dubbed the “traditional scheme of ‘Russian’ history.”

Datasets from around the world suggest that people completed early monumental construction projects without long-term structures of hierarchy or authority. In the Maya area, some of the first monuments produced by semisedentary societies, such as those at Yaxuna and Ceibal, were built in the absence of substantial social inequality. The focus of these monuments was a relatively inclusive plaza. This article presents evidence of an eighth-century BC monumental construction at Ucí, another site that was probably not fully sedentary. At Ucí, however, the first large architecture is not inclusive. Structure 14sub5 lacks a front stairway, separating people in the plaza from those who could ascend the building from the back. The difference between the inclusivity at Ceibal and Yaxuna and exclusivity at Ucí suggests variation in degrees of inequality. Different societies experimented creatively with social and political organization. This aligns with the inherent complexity of egalitarian societies as well as the possibility that not all complex societies began as egalitarian. Consonant with the idea that people had power to act otherwise, early exclusivity at Ucí developed into inclusive forms of governance in the Late Preclassic.

This article proposes queernotation as a lens to understanding existing works and as a way forward for composers and musicians who find themselves limited by traditional forms of music notation. Applying queer ways of knowing and creating, I investigate the inherent boundaries in notation and how queer theory can guide us to break out of them. Queernotation connects score types to three key areas of queer theory: queer erotics, queer temporalities and queer futurity. Extending these theoretical approaches to their musical possibilities, I identify three modes of queering notation. These approaches are demonstrated in this article through existing historical and recent works and practically applied in a chamber opera that tests concepts of queernotation in directing improvisers to perform conceptual ideas on the stage. Notation for electronic instruments and with digital mediums demonstrates how technology facilitates new approaches that can queer music notation.

This paper addresses the comprehensive regulation of artificial intelligence (“AI”) across its entire lifecycle in the health care sector. It builds on a proposal for a True Lifecycle Approach (“TLA”) to address governance gaps across three phases of AI and expands the framework with detailed practical insights for governing health care AI, drawing on pioneering examples from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”) as models for global implementation. Beginning with the research and development phase, it highlights the urgent need for robust guidelines and certification processes to ensure that AI technologies are developed in compliance with ethical and safety standards. Moving into the approval stage, the discussion explores how AI systems can be effectively regulated under existing medical device frameworks, emphasizing the need for tailored regulations that consider the unique challenges posed by AI. Finally, the paper delves into the deployment of AI in clinical practice, examining the gaps in current laws and the need for a coherent and consistent regulatory framework that can adapt to AI advancements. The paper argues that the existing legal structures are inadequate, often inconsistent, and fail to address the complexities of AI in health care. It argues for a broader regulatory approach focused on patient safety throughout the AI lifecycle.

Conversational theatre is a medium for facilitating dialog on race, privilege, and discrimination in Swedish society. Du Contrat Social, a performance based on Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s social contract, demonstrates how theatre can create an interactive space where audience members actively reflect on their social positioning and implicit biases. By guiding the audience through exercises that expose implicit stereotypes and encourage self-reflection, the performance fosters a unique setting for transformative learning.

Reflections on Claire O’Callaghan and Brendan Parent’s article “Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Treatment and Organ Donation After Circulatory Death: Consequences of Legislative Separation.”

The prohibition on the use of expanding bullets was one of the first prohibitions to arise in contemporary international humanitarian law. This prohibition is not a mere historical curiosity and retains considerable importance due to the breadth of legal instruments that it gave birth to. The spirit that drove the negotiations of the 1899 First Hague Peace Conference – growing concern about the horrors created by new military technologies and their increased lethality – has continued to inspire those who wish to advance the agenda of humanitarian arms control and disarmament today. This article contributes to the literature examining weapons prohibitions by engaging with the historical diplomatic and medical literature and debates that influenced the prohibition of expanding bullets in armed conflicts. It examines the outcry against the use of these bullets, contrasts it with the interests of the States that chose to use or not use them, and traces their influence on the 1899 Hague Conference and contemporary legal instruments. In doing so, the article highlights the dual influence of ethics and military interests in the prohibition of the use of expanding bullets in armed conflicts and argues that the creation of norms is more multifaceted than typically accounted for.

The word taʿawuniyya (“cooperative”) in Palestine today can mean multiple things. It can mean a registered cooperative, or can loosely refer to any initiative based on collective labor and possession, geared toward a collective societal benefit—a communal garden, for example. This vernacular usage of the term, close to the concept of the commons, is borne out of Palestinian history and is an invitation to go beyond the formal definition of a cooperative when searching for a Palestinian “cooperative movement.” Registered cooperatives in Palestine have historically played a role that ranged from subordination and placation by ruling authorities to reformist and survival mechanisms for a colonized population. Informal cooperatives, on the other hand, played roles that surpassed survival and attempted to upend the basis of colonial control. Apart from structure and labor relations, what unites both senses of the term “cooperative” is the political role they have played, as well as their tendency to focus on basic necessities such as food and housing. The history of the cooperative movement in Palestine tells a story of social production and reproduction as an arena of struggle, particularly against Zionist colonization. This essay will give an overview of this history, focusing mainly on the areas of Palestine occupied in 1967.

Two barrel cylinders bearing a royal inscription belonging to King Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BC) were found by chance on the surface of Tell Al-Uhaimir, which includes the remains of the ziggurat of the ancient city of Kish. Both cylinders bear the same text, which relates to the restoration work of the ziggurat é.u6.nir.ki.tuš.maḫ, whose name means “House, temple-tower, exalted abode” and is dedicated to the god Zababa and the goddess Ishtar. This is the first foundation text documenting the construction works of King Nebuchadnezzar II to restore the ziggurat of the god Zababa in Kish.

Historians have long disregarded Hegel as a rigidly aprioristic thinker. However, they have not arrived at this view based on familiarity with his works. Usually, early on in their education, historians are taught that teleology is anathema to their craft, and that Hegel is an exemplar of this approach. As a result, they are routinely advised that his writings can safely be ignored. Nonetheless, ironically, much in Hegel’s narrative continues to be influential. He emphasized a number of seismic shifts that shaped the world over millennia—for instance, the passage from ancient paganism to modern Christianity, and from the Reformation to the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. These events, and their pivotal role, still dominate historiography. Yet despite the staying-power of much of this account, its author is still discounted among professional historians.

This article examines the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled decision support systems in targeting operations and their implications for proportionality assessments under international humanitarian law (IHL). Emphasizing the primacy of the duty of constant care and precautions in attack as obligations that must be exhausted before and during proportionality assessments, the article advocates for a fuller understanding of civilian harm. It traces the historical trajectory of “quantification logics” in targeting, from the Vietnam War to contemporary AI integration, and analyzes how such systems may reshape decision spaces, cognitive processes and accountability within the context of armed conflict. Specifically, the article argues that over-reliance on computational models risks displacing the contextual, qualitative judgement essential to lawful proportionality determinations, potentially normalizing civilian harm. It concludes with recommendations to preserve the space that human reasoning occupies as central to IHL compliance in targeting operations.

In 2024, Israel faced profound political and military upheaval. The Gaza war persisted throughout the year, expanding to direct confrontations with Hezbollah and Iran, while Houthi attacks intensified regional instability. Domestically, the government fractured: The New Hope faction split from Benny Gantz's National Unity alliance, and both parties exited the coalition at different times. Meanwhile, mass protests continued over the government's wartime conduct and hostage negotiations, and tensions surrounding military service exemptions deepened societal divisions. Despite partial economic recovery, GDP growth remained sluggish at 0.9 per cent, with inflation rising to 3.2 per cent and major credit agencies downgrading Israel's rating. Institutional developments included a landmark Supreme Court ruling asserting judicial review over Basic Laws, sparking ongoing battles over democratic governance. No parliamentary elections were held, but significant municipal elections took place. War, leadership crises, internal polarization, and widespread demands for accountability and reform defined Israeli politics in 2024.

The purpose of this essay is to explore Adam Smith’s work for ideas relevant to modern-day discourse on pluralism (understood as methodological pluralism). It is argued here that the emphasis on difference of perspective in his theory of human nature is potentially foundational for pluralism. I explore Smith’s philosophy of science, where his theory of human nature explains the motivation for building knowledge, the conduct of enquiry, and the appraisal of resulting theories. Finally, I explore exemplars of pluralist practice in Smith’s treatment of alternative approaches to economics to his own as well as in his account of different approaches to history and astronomy.

The political year of 2024 was characterised by stability. The right-of-centre minority coalition stayed in office without serious challenges. There was a reshuffle in September, but the party composition and political direction of the government remained unchanged. Its reform agenda, with emphasis on migration and law and order, continued to be rolled out. The economy made a slight recovery, compared to 2023. Inflation went down, and public finances were in good shape. At the same time, Sweden took the final, history-making, step in the process of becoming a full member of NATO. The election to the European Parliament resulted in what is best described as status quo. The Green Party changed female spokesperson. The law on gender was changed, and the framework for fiscal policy was amended.

Birds and bats are extremely adept flyers: whether in hunting prey, or evading predators, post-stall manoeuvrability is a characteristic of vital importance. Their performance, in this regard, greatly exceeds that of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) of similar scale. Attempts to attain post-stall manoeuvrability, or supermanoeuvrability, in UAVs have typically focused on thrust-vectoring technology. Here we show that biomimetic wing morphing offers an additional pathway to classical supermanoeuvrability, as well as novel forms of bioinspired post-stall manoeuvrability. Using a state-of-the-art flight simulator, equipped with a multibody model of lifting surface motion and a delay differential equation (Goman-Khrabrov) dynamic stall model for all lifting surfaces, we demonstrate the capability of a biomimetic morphing-wing UAV for two post-stall manoeuvres: a classical rapid nose-pointing-and-shooting (RaNPAS) manoeuvre; and a wall landing manoeuvre inspired by biological ballistic transitions. We show that parametric variation of nonlinear longitudinal stability profiles is an effective open-loop strategy to explore the space of post-stall manoeuvres in these types of UAVs; and it yields insight into effective morphing kinematics to enable these manoeuvres. Our results demonstrate the capability of morphing-based control of nonlinear longitudinal stability to enable complex forms of transient supermanoeuvrability in UAVs.