I argue against John, Millum and Wasserman’s position that telic prioritarianism justifies morally acceptable discrimination against persons with disabilities. I propose alternative considerations that explain why disability discrimination in the lifesaving cases JMW discuss is morally problematic.

Conciliationism holds that it is rational to modify one’s beliefs in the face of disagreement. But extant conciliatory norms yield incorrect results in cases involving excessive confidence—cases in which one’s interlocutors are sure, or almost sure, that their opinions are correct. After explaining the problem of excessive confidence, I show that a Bayesian approach to Conciliationism handles the problem elegantly and effectively. Further, it has desirable—indeed essential—features, including the ability to (i) contend with multiple interlocutors, (ii) deal with gradations in competence, (iii) incorporate ubiquitous interdependence, and (iv) account for critical contextual features of cases of disagreement.

Recent governments, both in the UK and internationally, have increasingly used their power to attempt to alter the behaviour of people in receipt of social security benefits. This can be seen in the case of the UK’s benefit cap, a policy introduced with the specific goal of changing behaviour by capping social security support at the household level. Alongside promoting transitions into employment, there was also a focus on encouraging households to move to cheaper accommodation, something which was portrayed as achievable by those defending the policy. Drawing on case studies from qualitative longitudinal research with parents affected by the benefit cap, this article demonstrates that individuals are, in fact, relatively powerless to change their housing situations, which are routinely already overcrowded and of poor quality, even where rents are very high. Instead, affected households experience state-imposed hardship. We problematise both the cap itself and the governmental narrative that knowingly ascribes social security recipients with a power they do not have.

Recent years have seen record numbers of applications to UK psychiatry training, yet consultant vacancies remain high and substantial workforce gaps persist. This contradiction reflects a growing recruitment–retention paradox: increasing pressure at the point of entry has not translated into sustainable workforce capacity. This feature introduces the pressurised leaky funnel, a systems-based conceptual model that reframes the psychiatry workforce as a pathway shaped by upstream recruitment pressures and downstream attrition across five stages: exposure and intent, application, selection, training environment and career outcomes. Drawing on established workforce models and educational psychology theory, the model explains how application volume can expand while misalignment, motivational erosion and identity strain drive cumulative workforce loss across the pipeline. We argue that recruitment, selection and retention should not be treated as separate policy domains but understood as interacting components of a single system. By linking where doctors enter psychiatry with how commitment is sustained or eroded, the model offers a framework for moving beyond short-term recruitment metrics towards progression, retention and long-term workforce sustainability, while highlighting new opportunities for selection reform, training environment redesign and retention-focused workforce planning.

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is a powerful technology that has vast potential to support various aspects of second language acquisition (SLA). Given GenAI’s capabilities, it is particularly relevant for the teaching and learning of second language (L2) writing. Despite its potential, there are also clear hazards and a range of potentially negative side effects, many of which have yet to be explored. Building on existing research, in this piece, I propose a series of six future research tasks that may prove useful for further understanding the affordances and limitations of GenAI for L2 writing. These six research tasks are organized into three interrelated themes, which cover 1) learning processes and outcomes, 2) student use and interactions, and 3) teaching. For each theme, two research tasks are proposed. Each task includes a discussion of what research is needed, why it is needed, along with how scholars might investigate that research task by adopting quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods. The goal of this piece is to provide potential research ideas for graduate students and faculty and, ultimately, to foster research–pedagogy connections involving GenAI, L2 writing, and SLA.

Corruption persists because feedback between individual behaviour, social norms, and institutional rules creates self-reinforcing dynamics. Although laboratory experiments provide growing evidence on anti-corruption interventions, this literature remains fragmented, failing to explain why enforcement succeeds in some contexts and fails in others. To address this gap, this paper develops a Dynamic Corruption Equilibrium (DCE) Framework. Drawing on a Bibliometric-Systematic Review of 132 experimental studies, it identifies six intervention classes across institutional, social, and individual levels, with behavioural dispositions acting as cross-cutting moderators. While existing studies examine these interventions in isolation, overlooking cross-level interactions and behavioural heterogeneity, the DCE Framework integrates insights from complex adaptive systems theory and institutional economics to conceptualise corruption as a dynamic, multi-level system. By specifying three mechanisms: cross-level feedback loops, conditional pathways, and system bistability, the framework explains how corruption equilibria become self-reinforcing or shift, offering a diagnostic lens for analysing intervention effectiveness within complex institutional environments.

We present a robust optimisation framework for computing invariant solutions of wall-bounded flows by recasting the Navier–Stokes equations as a variational problem as established in Ashtari & Schneider (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 977, 2023, A7). The approach minimises the residual of the governing equations over a finite-time horizon, seeking periodic or equilibrium solutions. A novel contribution is made by including a Galerkin projection onto a basis of divergence-free modes that satisfy the no-slip boundary conditions. This projection not only makes the variational framework applicable to wall-bounded flows but it also yields a low-order representation of the dynamics. The basis is derived from resolvent analysis, which provides an orthonormal set. We demonstrate the method on a streamwise invariant formulation of rotating plane Couette flow, obtaining exact equilibrium and periodic solutions consistent with direct numerical simulations. The conditioning of the optimisation problem is analysed in detail, showing that convergence rates depend on the stability properties of the targeted solutions. Finally, we highlight a direct link between the conditioning of the optimisation and the structure of the resolvent operator, suggesting a unifying perspective on both the efficiency of the optimisation and the dynamical significance of resolvent modes.

Social scientists have paid significant attention to the study of ethnic and religious minorities in Europe, and yet one group that evaded such scrutiny is the Tatars residing in modern-day Lithuania, Belarus, and Poland, who are unique in being Europe’s only Muslim community that survived under Catholic rule since the late medieval period. While Muslims in medieval and early modern France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain were eradicated through a mix of mass expulsions, forced conversions, and massacres, Lithuanian-Polish Tatars survived over six centuries. This article examines this unique case to understand the comparative political dynamics of persecution and toleration across medieval and early modern Europe. The article argues that the interstate and societal configuration of power explains the Tatars’ exceptional survival. The interstate and domestic dynamics are linked in that Lithuanian rulers successfully resisted forced conversion and eventually adopted Christianity on their own terms, which allowed for the preservation and perpetuation of religious sectarian diversity backed up by multiple political stakeholders. In the domestic struggle between monarchs, Papal allies, the Catholic nobility, and non-Catholics, none of the religious sectarian factions could achieve a hegemonic majority, let alone monopolistic control of political and military power, necessary for a coercive religious sectarian homogenization.

The two-way interaction between the unsteady flame heat release rate (HRR) and acoustic waves can lead to combustion instability within combustors. Previous studies have typically characterised premixed flame responses to pure harmonic forcing, assuming dynamically linear or weakly nonlinear behaviour, to quantify flame–acoustic interactions. By combining third-order asymptotic analysis with numerical simulations of the $G$-equation, this study investigates the nonlinear response of laminar premixed V-flames subjected to dual-frequency velocity perturbations ($St_1$ and $St_2$, dimensionless frequencies). The positive correlation between disturbance propagation speed $u_c$ and frequency $St$ is captured by integrating a velocity-potential model with calibration against existing experimental data. The mechanism by which the disturbance at one forcing frequency, say $St_2$, affects the flame dynamic response at the other forcing frequency, $St_1$, is studied in detail. The perturbation at $St_2$ couples with that at $St_1$ to induce third-order nonlinear terms, giving rise to a non-monotonic suppression mechanism that smooths out the flame’s spatial wrinkling owing to the positive correlation between $u_c$ and $St$. As a result, excitation at $St_2$ modifies the HRR response at $St_1$, delineating an effective region bounded on the left by the frequency threshold of the linear response and on the right by the aforementioned non-monotonicity. Within this region, excitation at $St_2$ can markedly attenuate the HRR gain at $St_1$ compared with the case where the flame is driven solely by the perturbation at $St_1$. For instance, once both perturbation amplitudes exceed a certain threshold, excitation at $St_2$ can attenuate the flame response at $St_1$ by more than 40 % compared with the case without excitation at $St_2$. These findings contribute to the development of a quantitative framework for understanding how targeted frequency perturbations modulate the flame dynamics via nonlinear interactions, which may inform open-loop approaches for mitigating thermoacoustic instabilities in combustion chambers.

In expectations-driven liquidity traps (LTs), a higher inflation target is associated with lower inflation and consumption. As a result, introducing the possibility of expectations-driven LTs to an otherwise standard model lowers the optimal inflation target. Using a calibrated New Keynesian model with an effective lower bound (ELB) constraint on nominal interest rates, we find that even a very small probability of falling into an expectations-driven LT lowers the optimal inflation target nontrivially. Our analysis provides a novel reason to be cautious about the argument that central banks should raise their inflation targets in light of a higher likelihood of hitting the ELB.

As the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology, the largest paediatric cardiology organisation globally, we are dedicated to safeguard the health, safety, and wellbeing of children, adolescents, and adults with congenital and acquired heart disease, as well as to support the professionals who care for them across the globe. As both a scientific and ethical community, we are profoundly troubled by the devastating humanitarian consequences of armed conflicts. Across the world, we are witnessing an immense toll on civilians, particularly children, who are always the most vulnerable in times of war. The destruction of healthcare infrastructure, obstruction of access to medical care, and the severe psychological and physical trauma endured by children are deeply alarming. While the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology does not engage in political debate, we cannot remain silent when children’s lives and futures are endangered. We stand firmly by our values of compassion, equity, and peace and voice our deep concern for all (children) affected by violence and conflict, irrespective of their country, ethnicity, nationality, or faith. We invite our members and partner societies to join in upholding the principle that every child, everywhere, deserves to grow up in peace, with access to healthcare, and to live free from violence.

The article analyses the development of the Brazilian textile industry from the late 19th to the mid-20th century, focusing on the impact of the relative costs of capital and labor on efficiency and manufacturing costs globally. It argues that England’s early 20th-century dominance in textile production was attributable to the relatively low cost of capital, despite the high wages. The escalating costs of machinery following World War I contributed to the industry’s relocation to regions with lower labor costs, such as Asia and Latin America. In these regions, the increased utilization of machinery and the increased number of machines per worker became economically feasible. In the context of Brazil, the rise in capital costs during the 1910s and 1920s resulted in diminished efficiency. The challenges associated with importing machinery during the 1930s led to the utilization of outdated equipment, thereby contributing to diminished productivity over an extended period.

This report presents the provenance and technological analysis of two large obsidian bifaces recovered from a Middle Horizon (ca. AD 600–1000) ritual abandonment context at the coastal site of Cerro de Oro in the Cañete Valley, Peru. Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analysis identifies Quispisisa as the obsidian source, thereby documenting its circulation beyond highland Wari contexts. Technological analysis indicates contrasting trajectories: one biface shows no evidence of use, whereas the other exhibits macro use wear consistent with woodworking. Its location in a residential complex suggests community participation in the acquisition and ritual re-signification of prestigious nonlocal materials.

Chiral particles are experimentally investigated while settling in water with various turbulence intensity levels. The locations and orientations of the particles are tracked over time, allowing the close investigation of the particles’ settling dynamics. The generated turbulent flow is measured using laser Doppler anemometry, and the turbulence strength varies between experiments in the range $0 \leqslant \textit{Re}_\lambda \leqslant 250$. Starting with quiescent particle settling, the chiral particle’s orientation dynamics is studied, revealing a preferred alignment and a strong translation–rotation coupling. The particle chirality determines the preferred rotation direction, though the alignment and translation–rotation coupling gradually weaken with increasing turbulence. We identify multiple settling modes for the chiral particles, which are characterised by the evolution of the rotation angles. Finally, a theoretical model assuming a simplified chiral particle in Stokes flow clarifies the emergence of each settling mode.

Montmorillonite (MMT) is a component used to adsorb toxins and bacteria in animal feed. However, its effect on the horizontal gene transfer of antibiotic resistance genes remains unclear. This study investigated the removal characteristics of MMT towards multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli and its subsequent impact on plasmid conjugation. The results showed that 5 mg mL–1 MMT exhibited the highest removal ratio (84.60%), reaching saturation within 15 min. MMT showed a transient inhibitory effect on planktonic bacterial growth, resulting in a significant decrease in bacterial concentration at 2 and 4 h. In conjugation assays, while MMT significantly reduced the planktonic concentrations of donor and recipient strains via sedimentation, it did not reduce the absolute number of transconjugants. Consequently, the apparent conjugation frequency within the planktonic phase significantly increased at MMT concentrations ≥5 mg mL–1. These findings suggest that although MMT has application value as an adsorbent in feed to physically remove bacteria, its surface may act as a ‘hotbed’ that facilitates cell-to-cell contact, thereby promoting the conjugative transfer of resistance plasmids. Therefore, when assessing the safety of MMT as a feed additive, its potential role in accelerating the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes must be considered alongside its pathogen-removal capability. Future research should focus on the functional modification of MMT to mitigate its risk of facilitating gene transfer.

This article considers the interaction of the expansion of international law and the rising politicization of domestic institutions. As international legal processes frequently incorporate domestic institutions, how citizens react to the development of international law may become influenced by their perceptions of those institutions. We argue that involving politicized domestic institutions in the international legal decision-making process affects support for rulings through individuals’ perceptions of the domestic judiciary vis-a-vis an international court. Contra our preregistered expectations, a survey experiment fielded in Hungary shows that opposition partisans withdraw support for a European Union law decision when it is issued by a Hungarian court rather than directly by the European Court of Justice, while the involvement of a national court does not increase support for European Union law among government supporters. Further exploratory analyses of government supporters suggest that court decisions are broadly unlikely to move these individuals’ attitudes toward international law.

This study investigated cross-linguistic influence (CLI) in spoken word recognition in a typologically distinct language pair. Japanese–English bilinguals performed auditory lexical decision tasks in both L1 (Japanese) and L2 (English), presented in counterbalanced order, responding to cognates varying in cross-linguistic overlap and to matched nonwords. This design allowed direct comparison of L1 and L2 processing within the same individuals. Response times measured from stimulus onset and offset were compared to capture changes in effects across the time course of processing. In both languages, phonological and semantic similarities significantly facilitated responses, though phonological similarity effects varied slightly over time. Cognate frequency inhibited responses later in time, varying by language, and L2 proficiency further modulated performance. Importantly, these effects emerged spontaneously, without priming, demonstrating bidirectional cognate facilitation even across linguistically distant languages. The results support the applicability of the BIA+ model to auditory processing, even for different-script bilinguals.