In the context of political and financial market turmoil, effectively forecasting financial market trends is crucial for investment decisions. Large language models (LLMs) have been applied in extant research to predict market trends, analyze investor sentiments and interpret financial news, all aiming to help investment decision making. However, LLMs face limitations due to training data heterogeneity, restricting multidimensional perspectives and hindering comparative analysis for optimization. This study proposes a “Dual-Agent LLM Debate Mechanism” framework using a Proponent (LLM1: Gemini Pro 3) and an Opponent (LLM2: ChatGPT 5.2) to address single-LLM forecasting gaps: The Proponent generates a baseline forecast (F1) from an Integrated Context, while the Opponent validates and resolves conflicts with the Proponent via up to three rounds of cross-debate to produce a consensus forecast (F2). A controlled experiment was conducted to analyze 75 financial market indicators (FMIs) across five asset categories, revealing that F2 outperforms F1 in accuracy and directional stability, particularly in highly volatile assets like Cryptocurrencies and 10-Year Government Bonds. Paired-sample t-tests confirmed statistical significance, validating the mechanism’s effectiveness. Our study results demonstrate how cross-debate between LLMs enhances forecasting accuracy through structured optimization.

Abstract Hans Lauber (1876–1952) was a Swiss‐born Austrian ophthalmologist whose career spanned Vienna, Warsaw and Kraków. Once a celebrated scholar and surgeon, Lauber is now a largely forgotten figure in the history of European ophthalmology. This study reconstructs his complex biography, emphasizing his appointment at the University of Warsaw, the role of the John Warden Foundation and the controversies surrounding his wartime activities. Lauber was the author of at least 79 publications, including five textbooks, and was one of the pioneers in the study of visual field physiology and pathology, as well as a co‐developer of perimetry standards. He designed his own diagnostic instruments, including a perimeter, a light‐spot projector and a red‐free fundus examination lamp. From 1931 to 1940, he led the Department of Ophthalmology of the University of Warsaw, in Poland, and between 1939 and 1940, he served as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at this university. With financial backing from the US‐based John Warden Foundation, he modernized the Warsaw Department of Ophthalmology. During the German occupation of Poland, Lauber directed the Jagiellonian University Ophthalmology Department in Kraków, leading to post‐war allegations of collaboration and unethical behaviour. Arrested in Austria in 1946, he was never extradited to Poland; the charges were dropped for lack of conclusive evidence. Lauber's life reflects the tension between scientific achievement and moral ambiguity in an era of political turmoil. His story illuminates the fragile boundary between medicine, ethics and history in 20th‐century Europe.

ABSTRACT Keum Suk Gendry-Kim’s conflict comics Grass (trans. Janet Hong) and The Waiting (trans. Janet Hong) illustrate the deleterious consequences of wars and conflicts. By sharing their traumatic memories with the next generation, the protagonists Ok-sun and Gwija transgress the normative temporalities, so as to combat the potential effacement of their appalling experiences from public consciousness. This article addresses how comics act as an ideal apparatus for representing the intergenerational transfer of memories and trauma. The technology of the comics form recreates the visuals of the political turmoil and graphically resuscitates the sufferings of the ordinary citizens and the traumatic memories precipitated by horrendous events. By recovering, recording and remediating the micro-histories of the civilians, these graphic testimonies reframe the historical events, thereby often challenging the sanitised version of the official history of the nation. The transfer of memories across generations and the reconstruction of the past assert the enormous potential of memories and the pertinacious resistance it offers against repressive regimes and hegemonic discourses. The article discusses how Gendry-Kim’s graphic narratives, capacitated by the effective use of visual and verbal tropes, emphasise the role of (post)memory as a form of resistance against historical erasure and forgetting.

Many voices argue for technocracy as the ideal solution to periods of political turmoil. It is at such times that citizens demand the expertise, capability and objectivity endowed, in principle, by technocrats. While it seems difficult to contest the benefits of a technocratic system, a deeper analysis reveals that, at its highest level, technocracy could not only undermine the democratic standards of a country but even obliterate democracy itself.

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has a severe infrastructure shortfall of about $100 billion per annum, which has stifled economic growth, poverty alleviation and sustainability. To fill this gap, governments have developed Private–Public Partnerships (PPPs) to harness the private sector's efficiency, innovation, and capital while ensuring public-sector oversight and a social purpose. Nonetheless, institutional frailty, political turmoil, regulatory vagueness, and the absence of financial depth continue to limit the application of PPP in SSA. This paper examines the association between PPP financing mechanisms and resulting infrastructure development in SSA countries, using a quantitative research design. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data on 127 infrastructure professionals, policymakers, and development finance experts in 15 SSA countries. The paper uses Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypothesised relationships among institutional quality, regulatory frameworks, financing structures, risk allocation mechanisms, stakeholder engagement, and the outcomes of infrastructure development. Findings also show that institutional quality (0.342, p < 0.001) and the effectiveness of the regulatory framework (0.289, p < 0.01) are the strongest predictors of successful PPP implementation. Moreover, risk allocation mechanisms play a significant mediating role in the relationship between financing structures and project outcomes (β = 0.256, p < 0.01). The research adds value to the PPP theory by integrating institutional economics, transaction cost economics, and stakeholder theory into a single framework for understanding infrastructure financing in developing environments. In practice, such results indicate that SSA governments must focus on institutional capacity building, introduce transparent regulatory systems, introduce mechanisms for risk sharing that would attract private-sector investment without jeopardising the interests of the population, and enhance stakeholder engagement processes. Policymakers should develop a standardised PPP framework that allows for some adaptation to local circumstances.

Postcolonial migration is a defining feature of youth in Dinaw Mengestu’s novel, All Our Names (2014), shaping not only the protagonist’s coming-of-age but also the novel’s narrative form. The unnamed Ethiopian protagonist’s migratory path, which spans Uganda and the U.S., leads to a life of multiple displacements that challenge the developmental logic of the conventional bildungsroman. Far from leading to integration and settlement, the protagonist repeatedly feels compelled to leave the places he arrives in. The novel’s two alternating first-person narratives – one narrated by the protagonist himself during his time in Uganda and the other by an American social worker observing the protagonist’s life in the U.S. – foreground the pivotal role of two border crossings in the protagonist’s anti-Bildung. By focusing on how the protagonist’s repeated displacement is shaped by the political turmoil of Uganda’s civil war, this essay argues that Mengestu reimagines the bildungsroman as a transnational narrative of thwarted development. Through its dual narrative structure, All Our Names reveals how forced migration under postcolonial violence produces a highly precarious, isolated life of refuge.

Abstract This article offers the first in-depth study of the name Sophia in antiquity and contributes to debates about the utility of onomastics for the study of Christianization. After the name Maria, Sophia became the second most popular female name representing 4.4% of women in 7th-century Egypt. Unique among Christian names etymologically rooted in a virtue, we argue Sophia should further be understood as a theophoric name. We describe a set of cyclical factors surrounding the idea of hagia sophia constituting the “wisdom feedback loop.” Christological controversy generated political turmoil, and a significant point of difficulty was Christ’s eternal sophia (1 Corinthians 1:24) and progression in sophia (Luke 2:52). Amidst on-going controversy, a politically attentive population was encouraged to self-represent as intellectually conscientious, making Sophia an appealing choice for families, adding more attention to Christ’s mysterious sophia , contributing to further controversy, causing renewed demand for sophia within society.

First paragraphs: In my two previous Economic Pamphleteer columns, I have suggested that the current political turmoil in Washington, D.C., creates an environment conducive to radical change in gov­ernment policies. Those columns focused on government policies affecting economic oppor­tunities and access to farmland for sustainable farmers. I argued that U.S. farm policies should focus on long-run domestic food security, and that land use and production for exports or biofuels should be regulated as industrial, not agricultural. This column advocates policy changes to ensure that everyone has access not only to enough food but also to “good food,” defined as wholesome, nutritious, culturally appropriate, and sustainably produced food. Changes in community develop­ment policies will be addressed in my next column. Current farm and food policies are defended politically as providing food security by making food more affordable for more people. Current government programs absorb much of the eco­nomic risks for large-scale, specialized agri-food businesses, which are alleged to be more economi­cally efficient. Without government price supports, subsidies, access to capital, and tax credits—and the lax regulation of food quality, worker safety, environmental protection, and antitrust viola­tions—today’s industrial food system would be too risky for economic feasibility. The implicit assump­tion is that the efficiencies of large, industrial oper­ations will be passed on to consumers through lower food prices, making food more affordable. The incomes of those unable to buy enough food to meet their basic needs will be supplemented with government payments. . . .

After the birth of the reform era, the political conditions of the Indonesian state experienced quite big changes, one of which was the limitation of the military's role in political practice in Indonesia. The military's role was returned to the national defense function in order to maintain the professionalism of the Indonesian National Army (INA). The involvement of active military members in civilian positions which is now starting to reappear has given rise to political and legal turmoil which indicates the emergence of dual functions of Indonesia Armed Forces(IAF) as during the New Order era. This harms the goals of reform and the meaning of democracy in Indonesia. This requires providing views on the impact of involvement of military members in civilian positions both from a legal, social and political perspective. Through a statutory regulatory approach, a historical approach, and a conceptual approach using qualitative normative research, we can analyze the impact of military members' involvement in civilian positions in a descriptive analytical manner. The existence of civil-military stability makes government administration strong and of high quality, however, legal uncertainty, weakening of democracy, and inequality in political practices will give rise to injustice and disrupt the nation's welfare.

In an era defined by democratic backsliding, political polarization and rising authoritarianism, Karl Popper’s concept of the open society emerges not only as a philosophical anchor but also as a practical blueprint for institutional renewal. This article explores the enduring relevance of Popper’s ideals—critical rationalism, pluralism and transparency—in confronting today’s political challenges, from populism and performative politics to youth disenfranchisement and digital misinformation. Through an engagement with contemporary scholarship, including the works of Gerson, Ingrams, Ani and Okoye, Esfeld and Scott-Phillips, the article traces how modern democratic crises mirror the totalitarian threats that initially prompted Popper’s vision. Far from being a relic of mid-20th-century liberal thought, the open society offers a vital framework for democratic resilience in the face of institutional distrust and eroding civic engagement. The article argues that meaningful institutional reforms—such as participatory budgeting, citizens’ assemblies and algorithmic transparency—must be rooted in Popperian critical discourse. It further emphasizes the transformative role of youth agency, civic education and digital literacy in shaping an informed and engaged polity. Ultimately, this study underscores the urgency of renewing democratic deliberation by internalizing the open society not just as a political aspiration but as a lived institutional practice that adapts to complex, pluralistic societies.

The article seeks to explore the issue of citizenship through an analysis of three nineteenth-century short stories, all of which have tramps as characters. The author of each of these tales exhibits a certain hesitancy that they clearly felt in relation to this issue. In Washington Irving’s “Rip van Winkle”, the shift from British subject to American citizen explores American identity and the political and experiential ties that bind people to the state. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Seven Vagabonds” describes an alternative America peopled by vagrant citizens who create a heterotopia. The narrative allows Hawthorne to analyse some political ambiguities affecting the American nation in the second half of the nineteenth century. Kate Chopin’s “A Wizard from Gettysburg” portrays the loss of citizenship as an example of the lack of belonging in postbellum America. While Hawthorne is the only writer who establishes a firm sense of American citizenship, in that he depicts a society of vagrants as an alternative to his contemporary America, Irving and Chopin emphasize the loss of citizenship as a result of political turmoil, the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, respectively. The article also discusses the role of the genre of local narrative in creating the figure of the tramp that represents the stateless citizen and suggests that local narratives reveal the limits of citizenship in a nation in ways that may be not perceived by national narratives.

ABSTRACT This paper examines the changing dynamics of diaspora policies, with a specific focus on comparing the policies of Türkiye and Kazakhstan. With globalisation enhancing human mobility, migration has become a critical aspect of international discourse, influenced by various factors including political turmoil and armed conflicts. This has led to the emergence of diasporas as significant actors in global politics, with increasing academic interest in state–diaspora relations. The research begins by drawing on the concept of diaspora up to this day. Subsequently, it examines Türkiye's approach to managing its diaspora, analysing the historical, legal and institutional frameworks that shape its interactions with Turkish nationals and descendants abroad. It then delves into Kazakhstan's diaspora strategies, offering a parallel evaluation of the government's engagement with Kazakhs living overseas. The study further investigates collaborative efforts between Türkiye and Kazakhstan, particularly within the framework of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) and its Turkic diaspora programme. By focusing on joint meetings, educational initiatives and shared experiences, this research highlights the global dimensions of Kazakh–Turkish partnership. The findings aim to contribute to the academic literature on diaspora policy and provide a foundation for future research on the changing nature of state–diaspora relations in the context of international politics.

ABSTRACT The world is uncertain. We don’t know what the future will hold. Climate change, financial volatility, political turmoil all impinge on agrarian settings, often in combination. Yet the implications of uncertain knowledges are frequently ignored. Methods for political economy analysis must always take account of the contingent, unpredictable, conjunctural dynamics that generate uncertain knowledge within fast-changing capitalist systems. Uncertainties are felt differently by different people resulting in a contested knowledge politics, as illustrated in the pastoral areas of northern Kenya and in tobacco contract farming in Zimbabwe. Embracing uncertainty and rejecting deterministic explanations will therefore enrich critical agrarian studies.

Abstract Background Political turmoil, socio-economic instability, and ongoing humanitarian crisis in Latin America after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic drove mass migration to the United States southern border. Starting in Fall 2022, migrants were sent to northern states, including approximately 51,000 to Chicago. Cook County Health, one of the largest Midwest safety-net health systems, created a New Arrivals Clinic (NAC) that receives migrants within 24 hours of arrival and provides health screening, including HIV/STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) testing. This report describes how this safety-net health system has addressed migrants’ health needs and identified/connected PLWH to care. Methods From September 2022 until January 2025, 30,782 migrants received health screening at the NAC. Among them, 14,394 were males, 9,862 females and 13,014 children. HIV positive migrants were linked to our Spanish speaking HIV clinic for free HIV care, medical visits, ART/STI and chronic diseases medications, transportation for appointments, food assistance, and care coordination to assess barriers for engagement in care. Results A total of 224 (0.01%) migrants tested positive for HIV. One hundred sixty-eight (75%) were males, 56 (25%) female, with a median age of 31, including 42 (18.8%) under the age of 25. Ninety-nine (44.2%) were newly diagnosed with HIV. At baseline, 77 (34.4%) had undetectable HIV RNA levels (HIV VL) (< 40 copies/mL), 35 (15.6%) had a CD4+ count < 200 cells/uL. One hundred ninety (84.8%) migrants had a subsequent care visit and VL, with 153 (80.5%) of these patients undetectable at follow up, including 91 (61.9%) of those with detectable VL at baseline. STI screening identified 1,787 patients positive for syphilis, 1,177 (66%) received treatment; and 1134 Gonorrhea/Chlamydia, 869 (77%) received treatment. Conclusion Addressing migrants' health and offering HIV/STI testing/treatment is vital to diagnose and link PLWH to care. Our robust safety-net system, capable of rapidly providing resources for migrants to maintain/reach undetectable VL, has the potential to improve not only individuals’ health, but to contain the spread of HIV/STIs in the community. Next steps include expanding HIV clinic sites for treatment/prevention and improving access to care in the to the migrant communities. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Humanist sociology has long faced challenges in remaining relevant amid mainstream sociology and ongoing political and economic turmoil. This piece explores the “science in service of humanity” tenets of humanist sociology in the face of challenges and changes of the twenty-first century. Drawing on humanist sociologists of the past to guide this discussion, it also explores how sociologists can survive and thrive amid cultural divisiveness, distrust of scientific facts, and the pressures of securing and maintaining a career as a sociologist.

The prevalence of drug and substance misuse among youth has emerged as a significant worry for both the government and society as a whole. Presently, South Africa and several nations globally are witnessing a rise in substance addiction among youth. Substance misuse among youth has resulted in engagement in criminal activities, including violence, robbery, cash-in-transit heists, sexual assault, homicide, theft, domestic violence, and gang-related offences. The government and partners are actively working to combat the elevated prevalence of drug and substance addiction among the youth in South Africa. There is a necessity to employ technology for the identification, prevention, and investigation of substance addiction among youth in South Africa. This article examines the application of technology in combating drug and substance abuse among children in South Africa. A mixed-methods strategy was employed, integrating qualitative and quantitative procedures for data collecting. The research indicates that technology-driven universal prevention strategies focus on adolescents. These interventions comprise interactive digital activities aimed at enhancing drug-related information, modifying attitudes and normative beliefs towards substance use, and preventing the initiation of substance use. The interventions are executed in three environments: primary care, educational institutions, and residences. Adolescent engagement in drug and substance addiction arises from adverse economic circumstances, unemployment, political turmoil, ethnic strife, ineffective policy execution, and the consumption of psychoactive substances. Substance misuse constitutes a public health crisis and a global concern, adversely affecting the psychological and emotional well-being of youth. The government is advised to implement measures for the rehabilitation, empowerment, and assistance of youngsters to prevent substance misuse. Technology ought to be utilised in combating drug usage among children, encompassing detection, prevention, and investigation of drug-related matters.

<p>The Western Tibetan Plateau (WTP), a nexus of Central, South, and East Asia, played a vital role in shaping early Asian cultural and religious exchanges. Understanding human activities in this region is essential for reconstructing these historical interactions, yet the study of settlement and migration here faces significant obstacles due to limited archaeological research and fragmented historical records. This study employs pagoda construction as a targeted approach to investigate human migration and cultural diffusion. We compiled an extensive dataset of pagoda construction ages across the WTP using radiocarbon (<sup>14</sup>C) measurements, analyzing organic remains from 29 sites. Our results align <sup>14</sup>C ages with documented construction dates, affirming the approach’s consistency. Initial pagoda building in the Zanda Basin aligns with Buddhism’s introduction to the Tibetan Plateau in the early 7<sup>th</sup> century, suggesting that Buddhism entered via multiple routes, beyond the routes in the eastern plateau. Most pagodas, however, emerged during and after the Later Propagation of Tibetan Buddhism (post-9<sup>th</sup> century), reflecting a resurgence of religious activity. In Zanda, construction spans 7<sup>th</sup>-20<sup>th</sup> centuries, while in Purang, most pagodas postdate 15<sup>th</sup> century, suggesting a significant migration from Zanda to Purang during the late Guge Kingdom and its decline, likely driven by political turmoil, religious conflicts, and climate change. These spatiotemporal patterns, corroborated by regional relic distributions, demonstrate that pagoda ages can uncover hidden histories of human mobility, providing fresh insights into the intricate interplay of early cultures, religions, and population movements across Asia.</p>

Niccolo Machiavelli was born in Florence in 1469, during a period of intense political turmoil and cultural transformation. He rose to prominence as a diplomat and high-ranking official in the Florentine Republic, where he gained firsthand experience in the

Josef Bohatec: The First Historian of the Calvinist Reformation of Rights

This text looks at the issues related to climate change in Bangladesh and in Nepal in the last decade, focusing on the current challenges. In the last few years, both countries have faced political and social turmoil. Simultaneously, climate change has impacted the capacity of resilience to crisis, in a context already prone to natural disasters. In addition, Bangladesh, and to a lesser extent Nepal, are facing new and growing migration phenomena, in many ways directly or indirectly connected to climate change. How can the two countries overcome difficulties, some of which are structural? What are the organisational challenges, in the area of public health, but also in the relevant legal and ethical fields? What best practices can be identified to increase the resilience of the populations in such a complex context? The attempt to answer those questions includes an analysis of the field context, and looks in a critical way various aspects of the problem and of the challenges to apply the best humanitarian standards in the two countries.