Abstract: Debates on ontological underdetermination—from scientific realism to Bayesian epistemology—typically assume that epistemic agents remain structurally intact even when evidence fails to determine theory. This paper argues that such debates tacitly preserve a “posture of mastery”: indeterminacy is treated as a problem for theory selection rather than as a destabilization of epistemic agency itself. I introduce the concept of epistemic anti-mastery to describe a rational reconfiguration of epistemic posture under conditions of radical opacity. Through a structural reading of Marguerite Porete’s account of annihilation in The Mirror of Simple Souls, I demonstrate that: (i) Bayesian conditionalization presupposes an architectural stability that radical underdetermination undermines; (ii) scientific realism’s convergence rhetoric depends on an untenable mastery-orientation; and (iii) under structural opacity, epistemic anti-mastery is rationally required. The aim is conceptual intervention: rational engagement requires revision of epistemic stance rather than refinement of theoretical control.

Abstract: Pareidolia is usually framed as a viewer-side illusion, a tendency to perceive meaningful forms, especially faces, in ambiguous inputs. This Concept Paper argues that pareidolia can also be deliberately engineered and therefore provides a tractable entry point into the neurophysiology of visual creativity. We propose a unifying construct in which pareidolia functions as externally scaffolded mental imagery. Minimal visual constraints trigger a completion process that shares functional features with imagery, including reliance on internally generated templates and top-down inference, while remaining anchored to sensory input. This perspective connects mental imagery, visual perception, artistic cognition, and creativity within a single mechanistic narrative. Using Arcimboldo’s composite portraits and Dürer’s embedded face in View of the Arco Valley as complementary case studies, we outline how artists may transform an internally simulated pareidolic template into a stable perceptual outcome in the viewer, anticipating attention, viewing conditions, and individual differences. We then propose an operational bridge to creativity research by linking pareidolia design to constructs classically measured by the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, and we formulate testable predictions for behavioral and neuroimaging paradigms. Finally, we discuss cultural motivations for pareidolic techniques, including virtuoso “challenges” between artists and the possibility of layered or contestatory messages embedded through cryptic symbolism, and we highlight clinical resonance in neurodegenerative disorders where pareidolia can be quantified and is clinically meaningful.

Abstract: Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a cornerstone of national identity, driving economic development and social cohesion globally. Yangliuqing New Year Woodblock Paintings, a representative Chinese national ICH, face development bottlenecks due to insufficient internal innovation and ineffective external interventions, with existing research lacking holistic analysis of its historical evolution and contemporary challenges. This study aims to establish a dynamic framework for its innovative development. It first identifies cultural ecological factors via representative case analysis, then employs an integrated EWM-DEMATEL-ISM model to quantify these factors, determine their core components, and map their influence relationships. The results reveal that technical factors, cultural merit, and resource factors constitute the core cultural ecology of Yangliuqing New Year Paintings, with cultural merit as the deep-layer cultural gene, technical factors as the intermediate maintenance force, and resource factors as the surface-level interface. Three feasible innovative development paths are proposed, centered on activating cultural merit, upgrading technical factors, and optimizing resource allocation. This research provides a new analytical perspective for Yangliuqing New Year Paintings and offers insights for the sustainable development of other ICH categories by integrating historical context with future-oriented strategies.

Abstract: This study provides a rigorous examination of the early period of Diriyah's political history, spanning from Imam Mohammad ibn Saud taking power in 1727 CE through 1744 CE. The investigation starts with a key issue: even though Diriyah didn't expand much in size during this time, it still built a strong political and social system that helped it become a stable center in the chaotic environment of eighteenth-century Najd. Employing the analytical-historical method within a structuralist framework, the study explores the dialectical relationships among the regional political context, prevailing economic conditions, dominant patterns of political behavior, and the nature of political discourse during the period under examination. The analysis finds that from 1727 to 1744 CE, the emirate went through a calm but sensible founding period, focusing on careful strategies and building internal stability instead of rushing to expand or promote itself as exceptional. The findings affirm that the initial years under Imam Mohammad ibn Saud witnessed gradual institutional development and the progressive refinement of governance mechanisms, with emphasis placed on leveraging local resources and strengthening internal alliances while maintaining the tribal and social equilibria that prevailed across the Najd region. These policies contributed to achieving relative stability and laid the groundwork for the transformative developments that Diriyah would subsequently undergo. The significance of this phase resides in its establishment of a distinct political and administrative frame of reference for Diriyah, which shaped the administration of governance affairs and the formation of the emirate's identity. During this period, Imam Muhammad ibn Saud demonstrated an acute awareness of the necessity of avoiding internecine conflicts and steering clear of reckless expansionist ventures. As a result, looking closely at this time allows us to better understand how the First Saudi State began, highlighting the importance of wise leadership in creating the right political and social environment for the new political entity to form. In summation, the analysis of the first seventeen years of Imam Mohammad ibn Saud's rule constitutes an essential entry point for understanding the trajectory of political transformation in Najd. It shows how power was built and how the emirate's institutions were developed, confirming that choosing stability and taking things slowly were intentional strategies that helped Diriyah face challenges and maintain its history.

Abstract: This work presents the first in-depth investigation of Theodor Aman’s paintings that focuses on three of his heritage artworks: „Hora de peste Olt” (1866), „Teleleice in Harem” (1879), and „Regimul vechi” (1881), and that relies on both elemental and spectroscopic analytical techniques. Non-destructive Raman spectroscopy was employed on all three works of art to identify the pigments used by the Romanian master. In addition, micro-samples were available from "Hora de peste Olt" and "Teleleice in Harem", which were further analyzed using XRD, micro-Raman, ATR-FTIR, and SEM-EDS techniques to provide complementary information on the pigments. SEM-EDS was also applied to study the structure of the preparation layers. The analyses revealed significant differences between the artworks in terms of both the pigments employed and the preparation of the canvas, suggesting that the earlier artwork belongs to one creative phase, while the newer pieces can be attributed to a later phase in the artist’s career.

Abstract: This study integrates Vedic philology, ritual history, and philosophical hermeneutics in a multi-layered analysis of Agnihotra. Particularly in the Yajurveda, where its exterior performance is linked to varṇa and āśrama, it elucidates Agnihotra's technical structure and śākhā-specific methods by drawing on Śruti sources. The conceptual extension of ritual eligibility when dharma declines is explained by an analysis of Purāṇic and Smṛti depictions of Yuga decline. Then, passages from the Upaniṣadic and Bhagavadgītā are considered to demonstrate how Agnihotra is internalized as niṣkāma-karma and jñāna-yajña, creating a continuum between philosophical insight and ritual practice leading to mokṣa. Lastly, the Mādhyandina and Kāṇva recensions of the Śukla Yajurveda are compared to see whether they are appropriate for Agnihotra during the Kali Yuga. The latter maintains earlier, more intricate ritual levels, while the former provides systematic clarity. This study concludes that the Kāṇva recension offers greater scope for academic analysis śākhā for Agnihotra practice in Kali Yuga.

Abstract: This study offers a Qur’an-centric linguistic and theological analysis of the root K-B-R in the Holy Qur’an, arguing that the divine self-description of greatness is articulated exclusively through intrinsic, non-comparative forms rather than relational elatives. Grounded in the Qur’anic principles of Tawḥīd (absolute divine unity) and Tanzīh (incomparability and transcendence), the research examines whether the widespread devotional expression “Allāhu Akbar” reflects the Qur’an’s own mode of divine self-reference. Through qualitative Qur’anic content analysis, including root tracing, morphological examination, and semantic mapping, the study demonstrates that while al-Kabīr (الكبير) appears as an established divine attribute within structured naming patterns, the form Akbar (أكبر) functions grammatically as an elative, denoting comparative or superlative meaning. The Qur’an does not present Akbar as a divine name nor as a self-referential attribute of Allah. Given that comparative constructions imply relational contrast, this study argues that applying an elative form to the Divine may conflict with the Qur’anic doctrine of absolute incomparability. By distinguishing between intrinsic attributes and comparative expressions, the paper contributes to broader discussions on divine naming, theological linguistics, and the authority of Qur’anic self-description in shaping Islamic theology.

Abstract: The city of Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, faces multiple urban mobility challenges. Already confronted with major socio-economic issues, it must cope with rapid population growth, accelerated and unplanned urbanization, and signifi cant defi cienciesin transport infrastructure. Approximately 70% of the population lives in precarious conditions, severely limiting access to reliable transport services. Furthermore, due to its hilly terrain, the city is strongly affected by climate-related disruptions, which negatively impact transport networks and increase user costs. These factors exacerbate economic vulnerability related to mobility and strain household budgets. This study adopts a quantitative, predictive approach to better understand and anticipate household vulnerability in daily mobility, contributing to more inclusive public policy development. The analysis relies on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to identify key determinants, followed by clustering to segment households according to their vulnerability level. Finally, three predictive models were compared. Cluster analysis revealed three distinct vulnerability profi les, highlighting marked socio-economic stratifi cation. The most disadvantaged households, representing 73% of the sample, are the most exposed, with budget shares reaching up to 50% of income. Conversely, affl uent and middle-class households enjoy better mobility conditions but remain sensitive to economic and climate shocks. These fi ndings underscore the need to integrate spatial and economic inequalities into local public policy planning. Among the tested models, logistic regression stood out for its accuracy and its ability to identify vulnerable households with perfect recall.

Abstract: This reflective paper examines how J.R.R. Tolkien’s narratives of loss, abandonment, and eucatastrophic hope offer a meaningful interpretive lens for understanding grief and trauma within contemporary workplaces. Drawing on Tolkien’s literary theology, Campbell’s mythic structure, and current research on organisational responses to loss, the paper explores how stories can illuminate pathways toward recovery, communal support, and renewed purpose. By integrating narrative reflection with evidence‑based insights, it argues that compassionate leadership and trauma‑informed workplace cultures can foster healing analogous to the fellowships and restorative moments found in Tolkien’s legendarium.

Abstract: Background: Ejagham, an endangered African language, has received limited scholarly focus compared to other African languages. Most studies emphasise grammar and sociolinguistics, while its number system remains underdocumented. Number systems in underdocumented languages like Ejagham are rarely examined for their cognitive, philosophical, or symbolic dimensions. Yet, Ejagham’s counting system may encode concepts of economy, hierarchy, memory, and logic, reflecting broader cultural values. Objective: This paper analyses the Ejagham counting system from one to ten, seeking to understand its structure, cultural reasoning, and mnemonic potential. It also aims to support the documentation and promotion of this endangered language. Method: This study focuses on the Cameroonian variety of Ejagham, also known as Eastern Ejagham. It employs critical analysis, an insider perspective, and simple arithmetic to examine patterns and explore possible connections. The numbers are transcribed using the International Phonetic Alphabet. Results: Ejagham numbers from one to ten follow a cultural logic: larger numbers are formed additively and spoken first, reflecting seniority and economic mastery. A distinct word for ten confirms a decimal system. Conclusion and Recommendation: This research argues that Ejagham’s numerical expressions reflect a worldview grounded in economy, seniority, symmetry, and cognitive efficiency. The cultural logic embedded in Ejagham numbers contributes to ongoing efforts to document this endangered language. Increased scholarly and financial support is vital for its preservation and for further interdisciplinary study.

Abstract: This study examines how AI-assisted artistic practices reshape authorship, cultural ownership, and museum governance through the lens of cultural sustainability. Drawing on qualitative methods including literature analysis, expert interviews, and exhibition case studies, it explores emerging ethical challenges related to data provenance, creative agency, and institutional responsibility. The findings reveal hybrid forms of authorship that disrupt conventional intellectual property frameworks and highlight museums’ growing role as mediators between technological innovation and cultural preservation. While AI-driven exhibitions expand accessibility and engagement, they also risk cultural homogenization. The study offers strategic insights for policymakers and cultural institutions on fostering ethical, inclusive, and sustainable AI integration in artistic practice.

Abstract: This paper discusses about how unlock our noetic potential for productivity enhancement more effectively, in order to help us become more productive and efficient. Our innate potential is a big gift evolution, and we can sharpen and develop it for the purpose of boosting our productivity. Here, we examine the concept of human productive potential at the metaphysical level, to provide metacognitive perspectives on the idea of self-realisation and noetic rejuvenation. Inspired by Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, we propose a hypothetical noetic space and productive continuum for the mind, which allows better understanding of the phenomenon of self-realisation to augment our intrinsic productive potential.

Abstract: Global urbanization redirects attention toward the sensory quality of the built environment as a decisive factor in public health and psychological resilience. In automated retail, façades function as sensory interfaces to mitigate the psychological alienation and sensory deprivation inherent in automated nodes. This study offers an initial empirical investigation of AI-generated biophilic façade designs based on WELL Building Standard for automated retail environments using a multimodal evaluation framework. To evaluate the effectiveness of biophilic interventions in these settings, this study pursued three specific objectives: (1) to utilize a curated series of architectural façade variations with calibrated biophilic complexity derived from an environment-based AI generative framework, (2) to quantify subconscious responses represented by gaze patterns and behavioral indicators elicited by these configurations, and (3) to analyze the correlation and potential divergence between implicit physiological responses and explicit conscious aesthetic appraisals. The multimodal experiment involving 30 participants integrated eye-tracking, facial expression analysis, and Semantic Differential scales. AOI-based visual attention analysis indicated that biophilic complexity, particularly the integration of organic patterns and natural materials, significantly enhanced subconscious visual interest and sustained engagement within specific design zones. The findings unveiled a complexity-aesthetic paradox where subconscious physiological and behavioral indicators exhibited peak engagement with high-complexity patterns while conscious aesthetic preference favored material-driven structural clarity. Statistical verification via repeated measures correlation analysis revealed a lack of significant linear association between instinctive physiological engagement and explicit aesthetic appraisal, highlighting a notable divergence between implicit and explicit responses. Thus, while individuals are instinctively attracted to AI-generated complexity, psychological comfort remains rooted in material authenticity. This research provides a scientific foundation for health-conscious retail design by recommending a material-first strategy with pattern as an enhancement.

Abstract: Adaptive reuse projects frequently entail major plan-level reorganisation, yet the reconfiguration of spatial hierarchy within interior layouts remains underexplored at the building scale. Background: This study investigates how spatial hierarchy is reconfigured during the adaptive reuse of an industrial building converted into a hotel, focusing on the spatial implications of programme-driven design decisions within unchanged architectural boundaries. Methods: Visibility-based Space Syntax analyses were conducted using visual integration, connectivity, and mean depth measures. Rather than relying on floor-level averages, a control-point-based comparative approach was employed to enable targeted before-and-after comparisons directly linked to plan-level architectural interventions. Results: The findings indicate that spatial accessibility and visual integration are selectively intensified at specific nodal locations on the ground floor, while upper floors maintain a more controlled and segregated spatial structure. This pattern reveals a vertical redistribution of spatial hierarchy aligned with programme requirements, rather than a uniform transformation across the building. Conclusions: The results demonstrate that spatial transformation in adaptive reuse cannot be interpreted solely through quantitative accessibility changes, but should be understood as a design-driven reorganisation of spatial priorities. Rather than seeking statistical generalisation, this study offers a transferable, design-oriented analytical framework for interpreting plan-level spatial transformations in adaptive reuse projects involving similar programme changes.

Abstract: Advanced Design, as a discipline focused on exploring future opportunities, has the potential to significantly enhance New Product Development, understood as the process of designing and introducing new products to the market. However, organizations such as COTECMAR -the Science and Technology Corporation for the Development of the Naval, Maritime, and Riverine Industry, a mixed public and private organization- despite their extensive experience and capabilities in New Product Development, have traditionally concentrated their design efforts on addressing immediate and operational challenges. While the automotive industry has long employed concept cars to anticipate future scenarios, this practice has not been widely adopted within the shipbuilding sector, and even less so in Colombia. Within this context, an opportunity emerged to develop vision concepts - analogous to concept cars but applicable across industries -to explore potential future pathways for COTECMAR in Colombia’s Pacific Region. Through the application of DIVE, an Advanced Design technique, this research project explored and articulated ten diverse vision concepts. These range from an amphibious boat operating in conjunction with a health center built on stilts to improve access to quality visual healthcare services, to integrated tourism mobility systems composed of small yacht cruises, floating stations, and collectible tickets that connect travelers and local communities with the region’s natural and cultural assets. Across these explorations, it became evident that Advanced Design holds substantial potential to strengthen COTECMAR’s New Product Development processes. It can unlock new creative opportunities by expanding the Corporation’s product portfolio, fostering the adoption of a product–service systems approach, and enabling engagement with a broader and more diverse set of target markets.

Abstract: Perfumery is often described as an art, yet it rests on well-defined technological foundations involving extraction chemistry, carrier systems, and sensory performance. In such domains, nomenclature is not merely descriptive; it structures scientific classification, market organisation, and cultural memory. In contemporary India, the term “attar/ittar” has undergone pronounced semantic degradation. Once associated with a specific natural, oil-based fragrance technology, it is now applied indiscriminately to chemically and technologically incompatible products. This loss of predictive meaning has weakened consumer trust, obscured artisanal legitimacy, and compromised scholarly and regulatory clarity. This paper reconstructs the historical trajectory of fragrance-oil technology to explain how this degradation occurred. Drawing on archaeology, history of science, and perfumery chemistry, it traces early Indian aromatic practices, subsequent scholarly refinement in Persia and the Arab world, westward transmission to Europe through medieval translation networks, and the later divergence that produced alcohol-based perfumery as a parallel technological architecture rather than a linear evolution. It further shows that the term “attar” re-entered India during the Persianate and Mughal period as a prestigious lexical label rather than as a marker of technological origin, and that colonial disruption subsequently severed the term from institutional standards, accelerating semantic collapse within India. Against this background, the paper argues that terminological renewal is necessary in the Indian context. It proposes JWALE as a contemporary category name to denote natural Indian fragrance oils produced through traditional vapour-mediated technologies, ideally exemplified by the deg–bhapka hydro-distillation system. Derived from the Indic root jval (“to glow”), the term encodes the defining behavioural characteristics of such fragrances: gradual release, skin-proximal presence, and persistence. By restoring semantic precision, the proposal seeks to support scientific clarity, truthful market signalling, artisanal protection, and future standard-setting, without contesting the legitimacy of oil-based perfumery traditions in other cultural contexts.

Abstract: The paper examines the acoustic properties of the production of the English vowels by the non-native speakers with two language and cultural backgrounds, namely Pakistani English (PakE) and Arabic English (ArE). The study, through a multi-methodological framework premised on machine learning, explores the impact of the first language on the production of English vowels amongst native speakers of Pahari in Pakistan and Arabic speakers in Saudi Arabia (KSA). The task of the participants (10 participants per region, mixed-sex) was to create a list of English words with specific emphasis on 10 target vowels inserted into carrier sentences with CVC (hVd) structure and no pauses. F1 and F2 formant frequencies and the duration of the vowel were extracted using PRAAT version 6.1.04. Analysis and visualisation of this data was performed in Python and involved the use of vowel space plots, computation of Euclidean distances, and patterns of clustering among the speakers. Vowel classification and predicting speaker groups were analyzed by supervised and unsupervised machine learning algorithms, including k-means clustering and logistic regression. This was the process that demonstrated phonological patterns in the two groups with system. The results indicated that there were consistent internal differences in each of the groups and significant differences compared to the British English vowel targets. These findings indicate that PakE and ArE have organized phonological regulations. The implications of the study are on the teaching of pronunciation, building of speech recognition systems, and the development of region-specific text-to-speech (TTS) synthesisers. The study also discusses the importance of open-source tools in computational phonetics, with Python-based analysis becoming a common element of code-driven processing.

Abstract: History attempts to make sense of disparate information trying to create a discourse that lays a series of events with crisp cause-effect relationships in a sequence. Epochal shifts, such as the change from Antiquity to Middle Ages, are especially complex since they involve a large number of economic, political and even religious factors which occur over long periods and that might overlap and interact through reciprocal feedback mechanisms, making this cause-effects sequence difficult to establish. In this research we adopt a data-driven and well-established methodology to identify, with quantifiable statistical precision, the moment when this shift happened, and from there arrive at its possible causes. We will use historical coin hoard data to find out whether such a shift is detected in a peripheral part of the Roman Empire, the Iberian Peninsula. To do so, we will apply different changepoint analysis methods to a time series of trade links created from that data, and conduct a retrospective analysis based on that result, analyzing the structure of the trade networks before and after the link. Thus, we progress from identifying when the shift happened to identifying where it took place, which in turn allows us to get to investigate why it happened; namely, historical events that could have caused it. This methodology can be used to analyze epochal changes in several steps using time-stamped network data, possibly finding disregarded causes or cause-effect links that could have been overlooked by qualitative methods; in this case, we have applied it to a dataset of coin hoards either found in the Iberian Peninsula or including coins minted there, finding a changepoint in the early 5th century, which, through network analysis, has been linked to a loss of trade with the area of Britain.

Abstract: This paper explores the mathematical transition of a 64-gram (8 ×8) matrix system from static equilibrium to dynamic circulation. By applying a Riemann-inspired weight operator and a linear phase evolution governed by independent winding numbers k and m, we demonstrate how mirror symmetry is shattered. Drawing upon the theory of Hyperbolic Bias, we examine the evolution from δ = 0 (Hermitian parity) to δ = 3/4 (asymmetric dominance). This transition provides a formal mechanism for the transformation of “Obstruction” (Heaven-Earth) into “Full Circulation” (Earth-Heaven), establishing a mathematical analogue for the Sakharov conditions in Baryogenesis.

Abstract: The Trace & Trajectory Framework (TTF) offers a non-representationalist approach to meaning, cognition, and selfhood, grounded in dynamical systems theory and radical enactivism. Unlike traditional cognitive science, which treats meaning as something stored in mental representations, TTF proposes that meaning is enacted—it emerges through temporally extended navigational patterns called trajectories. This paper provides a foundational introduction to TTF's core concepts, parameters, and analytical vocabulary. It addresses readers encountering the framework for the first time, those requiring a compact reference for specialized applications, and scholars seeking to understand how TTF dissolves classical problems in philosophy of mind and cognitive science—including the symbol grounding problem, the scalability problem, and debates about representational content. The framework introduces a layered architecture of traces, threads, and trajectories operating across granularity scales (λ), coupled with transduction mechanisms that enable coordination between distinct navigational spaces without requiring shared representations. Throughout, conceptual clarity is prioritized over technical formalization, using analogies and worked examples to illuminate the framework's central commitments.