Abstract: The post-World War II international order is undergoing simultaneous collapse on two fronts: a geopolitical fragmentation driven by twenty consecutive years of democratic decline, and an accelerating concentration of economic power driven by advances in artificial intelligence. This paper argues that the convergence of these two forces is producing a structural transformation unprecedented in human history, one that could stabilize into a neo-feudal equilibrium in which a vanishingly small class of infrastructure owners wields power comparable to pre-Enlightenment monarchs, while the vast majority of humanity loses both its labor value and its political leverage. Unlike previous feudal orders, this one may prove uniquely resistant to revolution, because the mechanisms of enforcement (autonomous weapons, AI surveillance, algorithmic propaganda) do not require human cooperation and therefore cannot be undermined by human dissent. The paper examines the historical parallels (and crucial disanalogies) between contemporary populist-authoritarian movements and their twentieth-century predecessors, models the emerging class structure under conditions of artificial general intelligence, evaluates Universal Basic Income through the lens of incentive structure, arguing that without the revolutionary threat that historically forced redistribution, UBI will default to a pacification mechanism rather than a genuine solution, examines the future of the nation-state under conditions where AI infrastructure owners command more wealth and capability than most governments, and argues that the effective altruism community's near-exclusive focus on existential risk from AI has created a dangerous blind spot around the political economy of who controls AI and who benefits from it.

Abstract: The integration of digital technologies into higher education is reshaping pedagogical practices globally, yet many institutions in sub-Saharan Africa adopt these tools without sufficient contextual adaptation. In Zambia, universities face the compounded challenge of limited digital infrastructure, uneven connectivity, and institutional policy frameworks that lag behind the pace of technological change. This study examines how Zambian higher education can advance beyond superficial digital adoption towards a pedagogy that is at once technologically engaged and fundamentally human-centred. Drawing on qualitative survey data collected from 84 university students across multiple institutions between February and April 2025, and employing reflexive thematic analysis, we identify four interconnected themes: enthusiasm for digital tools tempered by anxieties over cognitive dependency; the structural gap between student readiness and institutional guidance; the transformative potential of collaborative and problem-based learning; and the imperative for contextually responsive assessment reform. We propose a three-pillar framework grounded in critical digital literacy, collaborative learning ecosystems, and industry-aligned problem solving. This framework aligns with Zambia’s Eighth National Development Plan and its emerging AI literacy initiatives, offering a replicable model for other resource-constrained higher education contexts in Africa.

Abstract: Agentic artificial intelligence—systems capable of reasoning, anticipating, and acting autonomously on behalf of citizens and institutions—is converging with electric and autonomous mobility and urban robotics to reshape how cities govern, move, and maintain their physical environments. This paper examines three interconnected vectors of AI-driven urban transformation: (1) the evolution of public-sector conversational AI from informational chatbots toward cognitive, agentic government; (2) the emergence of autonomous electric mobility—robotaxis, on-demand transit, and autonomous logistics—that is fundamentally altering urban spatial structure, cost, and connectivity; and (3) the deployment of intelligent robotics and city brain platforms that automate the physical management of urban space. We extend the mirroring hypothesis (Conway, Colfer and Baldwin) in two directions: dynamically, arguing that organizations and ecosystems converge toward the best strategic configurations that new technologies make possible; and ontologically, arguing that agentic AI introduces non-human agents as first-class participants in organizational architectures, requiring hybrid human-AI coordination structures. We further propose the concept of cumulative recursive hybridization—a dynamic in which the three vectors interact through data, regulatory, infrastructure, and talent feedback loops within specific urban ecosystems, generating compounding returns analogous to those observed during the Industrial Revolution. Drawing on comparative international evidence from over twenty governance chatbot deployments, the rapidly scaling autonomous mobility ecosystems of the United States and China, and emerging urban robotics landscapes, we find that advanced deployments concentrate in cities—not nations—that combine regulatory agility, talent ecosystem density, institutional willingness to redesign, and tolerance for experimental iteration. The paper concludes that the cities which will lead the next era of urban transformation are those that pursue simultaneous deployment across all three vectors, redesign their institutional architectures to mirror the possibilities of the agentic era, and actively orchestrate the cross-domain ecosystems in which cumulative innovation takes hold.

Abstract: Underground and underwater geographies have garnered much traction lately in environmental and human geography, given that resource exploitations often occur in these deep spaces. Whilst such scholarly work has contributed to knowledge, such as insight concerning dangerous labour and chemical pollution, current human geographers have rarely theorised the inextricable multiple seafloor entanglement. This lacuna exists partly because no concept can help express multiple humans, aquatic life, and seafloor relations. In response to this issue, bringing together island studies, queer ecology studies, marine science studies, and science and technologies studies (STS) in oceanic geography literature, this paper introduces benthic geography to remediate the entrenched binary logic separating the seafloor from other spaces and bodies. This paper contributes to current environmental and human geography by expanding the use of the benthic concept from predominantly marine science (i.e., benthic ecology) toward environmental geography. Ultimately, this article invites readers to reflect on our unexpected entanglement with the seafloor and other spaces through how the materiality of the seafloor oozes within and beyond multiple spatial boundaries. Therefore, this article also encourages scholars to create seabed knowledge that puts offshore extractive industries under public scrutiny.

Abstract: Many college graduates emerge from university wishing to pursue employment. Often, however, they lack a systematic approach for finding work. One published method calls for job-seekers to launch a relationship marketing campaign in advance of needing employment. This process, known by its acronym CARD, involves: identifying the job-seeker’s area of desired Contribution; enlisting the support of existing Allies or Advocates; identifying Role models to interview; and then Demonstrating value. A previous case report illustrated an undergraduate student’s use of CARD to find an internship opportunity while in college. The present case report contributes new knowledge to the literature in that it features the first account of a recent college graduate using CARD to seek full time employment. Also novel is the way this report includes the perspectives of the academic developer of CARD; the career counselor who guided the job-seeker; the job-seeker; and the eventual employer. We found that the career counselor was able to teach the CARD process to the job-seeker, who implemented it starting in January 2024. The process produced an offer of employment in June 2025. In the course of implementing the CARD process, the job seeker approached 33 potential role models already in her network, and nine potential role models identified through online searches. Five of these contacts provided a referral, resulting in a total of 47 people to approach. The job-seeker requested interviews with 33, and actually interviewed 24. We summarize the campaign, and describe the specific interviews and interactions with the role model who made an offer of employment first. This case report illustrates a systematic intervention, the CARD process, to implement relationship marketing when seeking full-time employment. CARD extends theory and evidence from the fields of relationship marketing and career counseling.

Abstract: This paper discusses the sustainability of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) in smart cities across four dimensions: environmental, social, economic, and operational impacts. In the long term, UAM aircraft are expected to be autonomous and unmanned, however, there some UAM aircraft will have pilots in the immediate future. Economic factors reflect the financial viability of UAM, the business case for operations, public impacts from subsidies for vertiport and power infrastructure, and potential indirect costs from increased electricity demand and grid upgrades. Environmental impacts include energy use, emissions, and noise. Social considerations include vertiport siting, public acceptance, employment effects, land use changes, and distributional equity. Operational sustainability encompasses technical readiness, regulatory conditions, and UAM missions such as cargo delivery, passenger transport and emergency response. Using existing literature and case studies from U.S. cities to provide a summary of relevant topics, we analyze a UAM business case framework and estimate travel time savings for airport-to-downtown trips in Dallas and New York. We compare UAM energy intensity and emissions versus conventional transportation modes using a New York City application, and examine how vertiport siting impacts travel times, land use, and neighborhood noise. Operational considerations highlight early use cases most likely to deliver near-term benefits. We conclude with a research agenda to address gaps and guide sustainable UAM deployment.

Abstract: This article conducts a thorough comparative analysis of public transport systems in Curitiba and Lisbon, focusing on cost-efficiency and structural performance from the user's viewpoint. Curitiba is noted for pioneering the BRT model in the 1970’s, while Lisbon is evolving towards a multimodal system with substantial investments in integration and user-centric policies. Employing a case study methodology and mixed analytical approaches, the analysis examines governance structures, network architecture, financing mechanisms, and service quality indicators. The findings indicate that although Curitiba imposes a similar or higher fare burden relative to user incomes, it offers significantly lower service value across various dimensions, including modal diversity and infrastructure quality. In contrast, Lisbon's integrated governance model for bus and tram networks proves effective in enhancing accessibility and sustainability, despite some coordination issues with centrally governed transport networks. This study contributes to the international discourse on the limitations of single-modal transport systems and highlights the necessity of institutional integration, long-term investment, and adaptive governance frameworks for urban mobility transformation in the 21st century.

Abstract: Zambia’s sports betting industry has expanded at a historically unprecedented pace, driven by mobile internet penetration, aggressive digital marketing, and entrenched youth unemployment. According to the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA), active mobile cellular subscriptions surpassed 23.2 million by the end of 2024, and internet subscriptions reached 13.5 million, creating the digital infrastructure on which online betting depends. Generation Z Zambians (born between 1997 and 2012) constitute the primary demographic drawn into this market, yet the psychological, social, familial, and institutional consequences for this cohort remain empirically under-examined. This study reports findings from a systematic review and netnographic analysis of peer-reviewed literature, newspaper reportage, online news platforms, social media discourse, Google Trends data, and institutional statistical reports published between 2018 and 2025. The analysis, guided by cognitive distortion theory and Merton’s social strain theory, identifies six harm domains: illusions of financial autonomy rooted in structural precarity; progressive cognitive distortion sustaining betting escalation; suicidality and crisis following catastrophic financial loss; relational and familial erosion including marital breakdown, theft, and pension depletion; academic and occupational disengagement; and the burden on churches, government, and civil society. The study argues for coordinated multi-stakeholder intervention and proposes evidence-informed policy recommendations for Zambia and comparable sub-Saharan African contexts.

Abstract: E-cargo bikes are niche mode amongst domestic users, with strong potential to reduce car dependence, particularly in suburban areas where usage is growing. However, there is a lack of research on both domestic e-cargo bike use and suburban use. Policy makers lack basic metrics for average speed, trip distance, as well as more detailed analysis of routes taken and the types of roads / paths used. Using GPS data from trackers on 12 household e-cargo bikes (7150km travelled, 1750 trips in Leeds, Brighton, Oxford), we, calculate key metrics and information about the types of routes used. Average speeds per trip are 11.8km/ hr, mean trip length 4.6km. Speeds vary with route type. Domestic e-cargo bikes are largely unhindered by hills. Major roads are used where cycle infrastructure is lacking (Leeds 48% of km travelled). Cycle infrastructure is used where present and suitable quality (Oxford 37% of km travelled).

Abstract: Elderly people have the right to essential welfare and support services that encompass access to healthcare services. This article explores the day-to-day psycho-social en-counters of elderly women in accessing health services in rural Zimbabwe. The re-search utilised the qualitative research approach in which four key informants were purposively selected for interviews and the snowballing sampling technique used to reach out to eight elderly women who participated in the study. The study was guided by the Human Rights-Based Perspective which informs our thoughts on vulnerabilities of elderly women’s in rural Zimbabwe. The study established that the difficulties of el-derly women are tied to the deteriorating health status due to ageing connected to de-clining family support. As a consequence, the elderly women find themselves in some form of social isolation which generates a state of peril for the rural elderly women. The study established that such isolation results in acute vulnerability, intensified marginalisation and diminished access to essential healthcare services. The study recommends that the duty-bearers, that is, the state and stakeholders, should take up their responsibilities and design tailor-made health services that cater for the daily needs of elderly people in rural communities.

Abstract: Mississippi wetlands provide flood storage, water-quality regulation, habitat, shoreline protection, and climate resilience, yet long-term loss and degradation continue despite an extensive body of federal and state law. This paper examines persistence as an environmental governance problem rather than as a purely doctrinal legal question. It uses a qualitative analysis of legal, policy, and agency documents relevant to Mississippi wetlands, organized around jurisdiction, institutional fragmentation, permitting, enforcement capacity, and monitoring and participation. The analysis centers on 16 core federal and Mississippi laws and policies. It supplements them with agency guidance, public permitting materials, and selected scholarly sources to assess how formal legal protections operate in practice across the state. The findings show that Mississippi has a substantial formal framework for wetland protection, but that framework remains uneven in scope, geography, and implementation. State authority is most visible in coastal wetlands, whereas many inland wetlands depend more heavily on federal jurisdiction, interagency coordination, and administrative follow-through. The review further shows that legal accumulation has not produced consistent conservation outcomes because fragmented authority, variable enforcement, limited monitoring capacity, and land-use pressures weaken implementation. Recent jurisdictional narrowing after Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency intensifies that asymmetry and increases uncertainty for inland wetland protection. The paper argues that improving outcomes will require governance reform as much as legal reform. More effective protection depends on clearer jurisdictional triggers, stronger interagency coordination, more transparent permit administration, improved monitoring and compliance systems, and closer integration of regulation, restoration, and land-use planning. The study contributes to wetland governance scholarship by showing that legal accumulation alone does not secure conservation outcomes when fragmented authority, uneven implementation, and weak institutional integration persist.

Abstract: We aimed to explore the personal and functional factors influencing the disaster or emer-gency coping abilities of individuals with intellectual disabilities. To this end, the study analyzed the relationships between personal factors—such as sex, age, presence of comorbid disabilities, and educational level—and functional factors—such as cognitive level and communication ability—using data from the disaster or emergency coping abil-ity survey included in the 2024 Panel Survey on Work and Life of Individuals with De-velopmental Disabilities. The analysis revealed that the level of disaster or emergency coping skills among individuals with intellectual disabilities was low. Sex, educational level, and cognitive and communication levels were identified as significant factors relat-ed to coping skills. Educational level was found to specifically influence the ability to evacuate oneself, a subdomain of disaster and emergency coping skills. The findings of this study suggest that systematic education and support, taking into account individual cognitive and communication characteristics, are necessary to improve the disaster or emergency coping abilities of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly integrated into mathematics education, yet most reviews emphasize achievement rather than how AI shapes mathematical thinking. This scoping review mapped literature published between 2020 and 2026 on AI-supported mathematics learning through three cognition frameworks: APOS (Action–Process–Object–Schema), Sfard’s process–object duality and reification, and Conceptual Image theory. Searches were conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, PsycINFO, Education Source, and IEEE Xplore, followed by duplicate removal and PRISMA-ScR–aligned screening. Twenty-one peer-reviewed studies met inclusion criteria (18 empirical studies plus three theory-informed anchors). Evidence growth accelerated after 2022, with most studies situated in secondary and higher education. Large language models (LLMs) and intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) were the most frequently investigated modalities. Across studies, AI commonly supported action-level execution and procedural management (APOS) via adaptive feedback, hinting, and stepwise scaffolding, and it often broadened learners’ conceptual images through multiple representations and generated explanations. However, few studies directly examined theory-linked conceptual mechanisms, such as object encapsulation, reification, or alignment between conceptual images and formal definitions. In LLM-supported contexts, gains in explanation quality coexisted with risks of procedural outsourcing when students relied on generated solutions without prior reasoning. Overall, AI’s conceptual impact appears to depend less on tool availability and more on instructional orchestration (task design, prompting, and teacher mediation). Future research should operationalize cognitive transitions, assess structural understanding, and report AI-use conditions transparently to support cumulative, theory-driven synthesis.

Abstract: Multicultural human resources have become increasingly visible in tourism and hospitality in many destinations. However, limited attention has been paid to how residents perceive the growing multicultural workforce in these sectors. Although previous research has examined tourism impacts, workplace diversity, and multicultural attitudes from related perspectives, an instrument specifically designed to assess residents’ perceptions of multicultural human resources in tourism and hospitality is lacking. This study introduces the Residents’ Perceptions of Multicultural Human Resources in Tourism and Hospitality Scale and presents an initial psychometric assessment based on a preliminary sample of 108 valid responses collected in the Algarve, Portugal. The findings showed acceptable item variability, favourable internal consistency across the proposed dimensions, and adequate conditions for exploratory factor analysis. However, the exploratory solution did not reproduce the original seven-dimensional framework in full, instead pointing to a more condensed four-factor structure. Overall, the results suggest that the instrument provides a promising basis for future research while also indicating the need for further refinement and confirmatory testing in larger and more diverse samples.

Abstract: This study examined how digital equity conditions and bundled professional development policies are associated with sustainable teacher learning, self-efficacy, and student engagement in Greek primary schools. A total of 460 in-service teachers from urban, suburban, and rural areas participated in the study. Data were collected through Likert-scale measures assessing information systems use, TPACK-aligned professional development outcomes, teacher self-efficacy, implementation challenges, and student engagement. The analysis included ANOVA, MANOVA, OLS regression with interaction terms, and mediation models. The findings indicated that infrastructure funding alone was not a significant predictor of teacher capacity or student engagement after the introduction of relevant controls. More consistent effects emerged when funding was combined with mandated and time-protected professional development, together with minimum connectivity standards. Teacher self-efficacy partially mediated the association between information systems use and student engagement, while stronger indirect effects were observed among early-career teachers. In addition, a bundled governance index was associated with a reduction in urban–rural disparities in teacher capacity. The findings suggest that sustainable digital equity in primary education depends not only on access to resources but also on coherent professional support structures that strengthen teacher confidence, instructional continuity, and long-term engagement. Implications are discussed for the design of sustainable professional development policies in teacher education and primary schooling.

Abstract: This study defines grain production resilience as the stability of grain output under climate-related disturbances, measured by the negative value of the three-year rolling coefficient of variation of grain output. It incorporates agricultural insurance and farmland infrastructure into a unified analytical framework and treats climate shocks as state variables to examine their effects on grain production resilience and their interaction. Using panel data for 31 provinces in China from 2008 to 2024, this study constructs temperature and precipitation shock indices based on ERA5 data and estimates a panel smooth transition regression model. The results show that climate shocks significantly weaken grain production resilience, and their effects are nonlinear and state dependent. Farmland infrastructure has a relatively stable positive effect, whereas agricultural insurance plays a weaker role. Under temperature shocks, the two policy tools tend to exhibit a substitutive relationship. Under precipitation shocks, however, their relationship varies across shock regimes and becomes more complementary only under higher-shock conditions. These findings suggest that grain production support policies should be adjusted according to the type and intensity of climate shocks.

Abstract: This paper traces the evolution of global environmental agreements from 1971 to 2025 and explains why a dense treaty architecture has not delivered commensurate improvements in planetary conditions. Using qualitative comparative document analysis of major multilateral environmental agreements across climate, biodiversity, and pollution, the paper codes objectives, institutional designs, and observed performance. It integrates regime complex theory, planetary boundaries, and environmental justice to interpret recurrent weaknesses in this regime complex. The analysis identifies three consistent empirical patterns. First, implementation and enforcement gaps persist across issue areas, as global indicators for biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, and pollution-related mortality continue to diverge from agreed goals and targets. Second, states respond to the triple planetary crisis through a fragmented institutional landscape that multiplies mandates and reporting obligations while achieving limited coordination or policy integration. Third, distributive and procedural injustices endure because populations that contribute least to environmental degradation bear disproportionate harm and confront chronic shortfalls in finance, technology transfer, and voice in decision-making. These three patterns reinforce one another and create a structurally underpowered regime complex when evaluated against planetary boundaries and justice claims. The paper argues that incremental treaty proliferation cannot close these gaps. Instead, global environmental governance must shift toward implementation-centered Conferences of the Parties, stronger but fair compliance mechanisms, deliberate inter-regime coordination, and justice-oriented reforms in finance and rights. This diagnosis provides a foundation for future empirical evaluations of treaty impact and for normative debates on how to realize a safe and just operating space for humanity.

Abstract: Radial Analysis (RA) is a methodological framework that transforms radial category theory from static structural mapping into dynamic trajectory modeling. Building on the Trace & Trajectory Framework's (TTF) non-representationalist architecture, RA provides researchers with practical tools for analyzing indexicality, identity navigation, and meaning dynamics in discourse. This paper presents RA as an applied methodology rather than a foundational theory. The framework employs hexagonal geometry (the SpiderWeb architecture—a board game model based on hexagonal tessellation) to formalize navigational patterns: how speakers move through identity space, what these movements cost informationally, and how trajectorial patterns reveal underlying dynamics invisible to categorical approaches. Core innovations include: (1) the three-level terminology (Hexid/Hex/Hxp) for precise analytical description; (2) formally grounded metrics (hexagonal distance, trajectory cost, Temporal Dissipation Rate) enabling principled relational comparison; (3) the λ/ς/σ parameter system distinguishing structural granularity, semiotic depth, and epistemic access; (4) the depth parameter (ς) governing semiotic visibility through shading mechanics; (5) semiotic coherence (SC) as the constitutive principle underlying positional significance; (6) stratified epistemic barriers (Hxₙ) and hex bands (Hx⁽ⁿ⁾) structuring radial distance into qualitatively distinct reference domains with characteristic cost profiles; and (7) direct application to epistemic appropriation dynamics including flattening, internalization, and trajectorial refraction. RA addresses phenomena that categorical frameworks handle only through ad hoc mechanisms: simultaneous multi-level positioning, asymmetric intersubjective dynamics, and the geometric constraints that institutional power imposes on identity navigation. Applications span personal deixis, temporal reference, identity navigation dynamics, and—through integration with recent work on epistemic appropriation—the formal analysis of internalized oppression in clinical and educational contexts.

Abstract: Classroom management is generally held to be a major requirement for effective teaching, although little evidence is available in South Asian secondary schools. The relationship considered in this study was between classroom management strategies and student engagement in Sri Lankan secondary schools based on a concurrent mixed-methods design. A questionnaire and open-ended questions were used to gather data on 121 teachers. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression were used to analyze quantitative data and thematic analysis of qualitative responses, respectively. It was observed that the most common classroom management strategies were time management, clear expectations and rules, and positive reinforcement. The level of overall student engagement was moderate. Regression analysis revealed that time management, positive reinforcement, and group work were significant predictors of student engagement, each having 21.7 percent of the variance in student engagement. Qualitative responses also suggested disruptive behavior, large classes, and lack of student motivation were the most prevalent obstacles to engagement and active learning; professional growth and integration of technology were most frequently recommended. The research shows the significance of purposeful, enabling, and active classroom activities in encouraging student involvement and gives evidence, which is context-sensitive regarding teacher training in Sri Lankan secondary education.

Abstract: This study employed the Ex-Gaussian distribution model to analyse eye-tracking data, to elucidate the cognitive mechanisms underlying predictive processing during Chinese reading. Using a single-factor, two-level within-subjects design (contextual predictability: high vs. low), data from 32 adult readers were analysed across the pre-target and target word regions. The results revealed that predictive reading follows a three-stage cognitive model. In the expectation generation stage (pre-target region), a significant negative τ effect indicated resource pre-allocation driven by strong contextual constraints, thereby facilitating the construction of predictive lexical representations. In the verification and integration stage (target word region), a significant negative μ effect alongside a marginally significant σ effect in the later measurement window indicated that successful prediction–input matching accelerated lexical identification and enhanced integration efficiency. In the conflict resolution stage (pre-target and target word regions), a significant positive τ effect indicated that verification failure triggered lexical activation competition at the target word, driving regressive fixations to the pre-target region for contextual reanalysis; conflict resolution costs were markedly higher under the low-predictability condition, owing to the absence of a dominant activation anchor. These findings suggest that contextual predictability influences reading through a dual mechanism: the μ parameter modulates the automatic processing speed of lexical identification, whereas the τ parameter regulates the cognitive control processes underlying expectation generation and conflict resolution. Together, these results provide empirical support for the integration of predictive coding theory and cognitive control frameworks.