Democratic decision-making processes tend to take less account of future interests than of present ones, thereby jeopardizing not least the foundations of future democracy. Democratic short-termism causes considerable problems, especially when decisions made now have serious consequences for the future and can hardly be reversed. Thus, the current climate protection legislation, which is far too weak worldwide, threatens to impose unbearable and unjust burdens on people in the future and deprive them of any political leeway for shaping their own policies, thus also undermining the very basis of democracy. In general, it is one of the functions of constitutional law to help overcome such short-termism of decision-making processes. However, in the case of climate protection, this is difficult because the veto power of constitutional law and constitutional courts has comparatively little impact here—for reasons related to the factual characteristics of climate protection. Nevertheless, constitutional law and courts have their own potential in climate protection that needs to be further developed in order to overcome some of the democratic short-termism.

Introducing the Special Issue on “Judging under Pressure,” this Article sets out three interlinked challenges facing constitutional courts, broadly understood: persisting inequalities, the climate crisis, and rising autocratization. The Articles in this Special Issue identify, analyze, and prescribe a set of judicial responses and strategies when judging under pressure. Some reimagine and recalibrate the role of judges, while others respond with doctrinal and theoretical innovation; yet, throughout, there is a recognition of judicial constraints and institutional fragility.

The international solidarity principle is a crucial legal norm of international society. It helps guide state conduct and facilitate cooperation among international actors to respond to global challenges and uphold human rights. The European Union (EU) and its Member States have argued that their bilateral agreements with non-EU countries to prevent irregular migration to Europe is a demonstration of international solidarity that fulfils their obligations to asylum seekers and refugees. However, the EU’s interpretation of international solidarity in these arrangements has been contested. This article argues that the EU has strategically interpreted the international solidarity principle to fit in with, and complement, its migration deterrence policy framework. It posits that the EU’s interpretation abuses the international solidarity principle as it aims to separate the solidarity principle from the realisation of human rights, thereby hurting, instead of benefitting, asylum seekers and refugees. This article makes an important contribution to understanding how the solidarity principle is interpreted between EU and non-EU partners, and the intimate connection between solidarity and the realisation of human rights. More importantly, it demonstrates how the interpretation and evasion of the international solidarity principle has been shaped by, and shaped to fit, the EU’s migration externalisation policy framework.

Who has been considered human by the humanities? Along with its emancipatory potential, the humanities have historically also been related to imperial states whose military conquests have implicated the dehumanization of other peoples. Many times, the humanities have offered foundational narratives sustaining imperial projects. This essay takes a constructivist epistemology to explore the concept of humanism, and how it has emerged and changed in different contexts, beginning with the Roman idea of humanitas that focused on civilization to legitimize domination. A critique of colonial Christian humanism reveals how it was used to justify violence against those defined as non or less human, be they women, Africans, or indigenous people. The historical exclusion of many groups from educational institutions and knowledge production shows how the humanities have perpetuated hierarchies of power that, ironically, dehumanized. Movements such as the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, which sought to reform the humanities, continued to favor a Eurocentric culture. This essay advocates for an intercultural approach to the humanities, one that frees itself from imperialism and promotes inclusive dialogues among peoples. This effort must go beyond overcoming Eurocentrism. It must also overcome anthropocentrism to incorporate a more respectful relationship with Nature, recognizing the cultural practices of indigenous peoples, who have maintained a more conscious and harmonious link with beyond human lifeways.

We simulate the formation of a condensate on a sphere, generated by an inverse energy cascade originating from a stochastic forcing at spherical harmonic wavenumber $ l_{\!f} \gg 1$. The condensate forms as two pairs of oppositely signed vortices lying on a great circle that is randomly rotating in three dimensions. The vortices are separated by $ 90^\circ$ and like signed vortices are located at opposite poles. We show that the configuration is the maximum energy solution to a Hamiltonian dynamical system with a single degree of freedom. An analysis in wavenumber space reveals that interactions between widely separated scales of motions dominate the formation process. For comparison, we also perform freely decaying simulations with random initial conditions and prescribed spectra. The late time solutions consist of four coherent vortices, similar to the solutions of the forced simulations. However, in the freely decaying simulations the vortex configuration is not stationary but exhibits periodic motions.

Disease resistance breeding of wheat using molecular markers aims to efficiently identify and incorporate key resistance genes against stripe rust into elite wheat cultivars. This approach enhances the precision and speed of breeding programs to develop durable, resistant wheat varieties capable of withstanding Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) infections, ultimately contributing to sustainable wheat production and global food security. A total of 174 bread wheat genotypes, comprising 94 Turkish cultivars and 80 exotic landraces obtained from the USDA, were screened using gene-specific markers for the stripe rust resistance genes Yr15 and Yr5. The Yr15 resistance gene was detected in 31 genotypes, including 22 Turkish cultivars and nine USDA landraces. The Yr5 resistance gene was not found in any of the tested germplasm, but the susceptibility gene was identified in 77 genotypes. Turkish cultivars showed higher susceptibility to stripe rust, with 46 out of 94 genotypes vulnerable, compared to 25 out of 80 USDA genotypes. These findings highlight the urgent need to integrate Yr15 and other resistance genes into wheat breeding programs to enhance crop resilience against evolving Pst isolates, thereby ensuring sustainable wheat production and contributing to global food security.

We examine the arguments made by Onitiu and colleagues concerning the need to adopt a “backward-walking logic” to manage the risks arising from the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) adapted for a medical purpose. We examine what lessons can be learned from existing multi-use technologies and applied to specialized LLMs, notwithstanding their novelty, and explore the appropriate respective roles of device providers and regulators within the ecosystem of technological oversight.

Imaging genetics is an interdisciplinary field that integrates neuroimaging and genetic data to improve behavioral prediction and investigate the genetic bases of brain structure and function. It aims to identify associations between genetic markers and brain imaging phenotypes, with a behavioral or clinical trait as the outcome of interest. Since its emergence nearly 30 years ago, the field has advanced substantially, fueled by rapid developments in molecular-genetic and neuroimaging techniques. These advances have opened new avenues for exploring individual differences in cognitive and socio-emotional development and their links to neurodevelopmental disorders. This systematic review examined studies published between 2020 and 2024, focusing on developmental psychopathology. We screened 769 articles from PubMed/MEDLINE and PsycINFO and selected 42 publications that met specific inclusion criteria for review. The studies were categorized into three groups based on the developmental ages in which conditions typically develop: birth/early childhood, late childhood or early adolescence, and late adolescence. Although the field has seen considerable progress, multiple challenges in data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation remain. Larger sample sizes and novel analytical techniques are crucial for the continued advancement of imaging genetics, with animal studies offering potential complementary insights.