Abstract: Contemporary development models remain anchored in extractive epistemologies that privilege economic expansion, industrial accumulation, and the mastery of nature as the dominant measure of progress. Yet the global polycrisis—marked by climate instability, biodiversity collapse, deep inequalities, and sociopolitical fragmentation—exposes the profound limits of growth-centered paradigms. This article proposes a cosmopolitical framework for regenerative development rooted in African relational ontologies, planetary boundary science, and multi-level sociotechnical transition theory. Drawing from Ubuntu ethics, Bantu cosmologies, ecological theologies, and pluriversal thought, the article argues that regeneration rather than growth constitutes the emerging civilizational axis of the twenty-first century. By integrating insights from Earth system science, relational anthropology, and transition studies, the paper develops the concept of Relational Regeneration Systems (RRS)—institutional and infrastructural architectures that restore the vitality of socio-ecological systems while enhancing cultural meaning, community cohesion, and technological appropriateness. Empirical examples from African regenerative agriculture, hydrological commons governance, and digital innovation ecosystems demonstrate how relational ontologies generate alternative pathways for sociotechnical transformation. The framework elaborated here offers policymakers, scholars, and practitioners a pluriversal, ecologically grounded, and justice-oriented vision of development capable of navigating the unprecedented challenges of the Anthropocene.

Abstract: In the mid-1950s, the world’s space law practitioner, Andrew G. Haley, proposed the concept of Metalaw, the law governing interactions between all beings in the Universe, as he represented the American Rocket Society in the International Astronautical Congress, the single largest gathering of space-faring nations. Haley, with experience in radio communications law dating back to the 1930s, played a pivotal role in addressing the international allocation of radio frequencies in space. Haley was, too, an agile mediator with the Soviet Union and its bloc, acting across various organizations and forums. This article, in contextualizing Haley’s introduction of Metalaw, shows how the onset of the Space Age coincided with the emergence of a contact scenario involving extraterrestrial intelligence enabled by the corresponding techno-scientific capabilities of the time. It demonstrates how extraterrestrial intelligence discursively addressed outer space regulation as a bone of contention between the two geopolitically divided parts, a regulation upon which the US’s global satellite system would depend. The analysis in this article recounts the birth of the Metalaw concept at the intersection of outer space imaginary, law, international organizations, science and technology, diplomacy, the Space Race, the Cold War, and radio astronomy’s Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.

Abstract: The cave of Altamira (Spain), a UNESCO World Heritage site, contains one of the most fragile and inaccessible Paleolithic rock-art environments in Europe, where conventional geomatics workflows are limited by severe spatial, lighting, and safety constraints. This study applies a confined-space UAV equipped with LiDAR-based SLAM navigation to document and assess the stability of the vertical rock wall leading to “La Hoya” Hall, a structurally sensitive sector of the cave. Twelve autonomous and assisted flights were conducted, generating dense LiDAR point clouds and video sequences processed through videogrammetry to produce high-resolution 3D meshes. A Mask R-CNN deep learning model was trained using manually segmented images to automatically detect cracks under variable illumination and viewing conditions. The results reveal active fractures, overhanging blocks, and sediment accumulations located on inaccessible ledges, demonstrating the capacity of UAV-SLAM workflows to overcome the limitations of traditional surveys in confined subterranean environments. All datasets were integrated into the DiGHER digital twin platform, enabling long-term storage, multitemporal comparison, and collaborative annotation. The study confirms the feasibility of UAV-based SLAM mapping combined with videogrammetry and deep learning segmentation as a robust approach for structural assessment and preventive conservation in Paleolithic caves and similarly constrained cultural heritage contexts.

Abstract: This study deals with the classificational aspects of raags of Hindustani Classical music by grouping raags into thaats and timings. The raags are classified based on the notes and the time of the day. The different timings of the days portrays various emotions, and these emotions are expressed through raags.

Abstract: Street networks shape urban dynamics. However, the spatial configuration of street stores and its interaction with urban economy and socio-culture remain insufficiently studied at meso- and micro-scales. Based on the dual network logic of Space Syn-tax—foreground and background networks, the study analyses the spatial distribution patterns of street stores in eight street segments in four Chinese cities: Tianjin, Nanjing, Zhengzhou, and Hong Kong. Network types are distinguished by Normalized Angular Choice (NACH) and patchwork pattern analysis. Drawing on 2019 POI data, street view images, and field surveys, this study compares store operation methods, func-tional diversity, and 100-meter density between the two network types. The results in-dicate that high-value street segments of foreground network are dominated by eco-nomically driven and functionally diverse chain stores, while high-value street seg-ments of background networks tend to have high densities of sole stores that are more embedded in local socio-cultural contexts. By linking spatial configurations of street-level commerce with urban economic and cultural activities, this research ex-tends Space Syntax theory and provides a new analytical method for interpreting and optimizing commercial spatial planning in Chinese cities.

Abstract: Cross-cultural mobility has intensified in recent decades, creating both challenges and opportunities for adaptation. Individuals navigating new cultural environments often experience stress related to language barriers, discrimination, and social integration, while simultaneously developing resilience and coping resources. To capture these dynamics, the Inventário de Estresse e Resiliência na Mobilidade Cross-cultural (IERM-T) was developed as a multidimensional instrument grounded in Lazarus and Folkman’s transactional model of stress and coping and informed by well-being theory. The IERM-T integrates five components: stressors, symptoms, coping strategies, emotions, and residential well-being. Validation analyses were conducted with 42 participants (107 evaluations), using R and Shiny for data collection and psychometric testing. Results demonstrated strong internal consistency (α = 0.938 for symptoms; α = 0.887 for stressors and emotions; α = 0.748 for well-being), coherent factorial structures distinguishing positive and negative emotions, and meaningful correlations between symptoms, resilience, and well-being (r = –0.846). These findings provide evidence of reliability and construct validity, supporting the IERM-T as a culturally sensitive tool for research and applied contexts. The inventory offers practical utility for identifying risk and protective factors in cross-cultural populations and contributes to advancing the field of cross-cultural psychology.

Abstract: Shell middens of Guyana’s northwestern coast are a tangible record of prehistoric occupation and land use during the Holocene, an era saw increased human impacts on the landscape. Drawing from regional and local environmental data, this paper reviews archival and recently excavated zooarchaeological, bioarchaeological and environmental data sets as an aid to understanding prehistoric land-use, shell midden function, and the complex relationship between Archaic populations and their landscape. We analyse archival and previously published materials which coverers the spectrum of faunal exploitation and incorporates recent isotopic data of human and faunal remains from seven Early to Mid-Holocene Guyanese shell middens as a proxy to infer land use and human predation. We conclude that climate fluctuations during the Mid Holocene influenced fishing intensification and subsequently a shift in human predation, which affected small-to medium-sized fauna as well as vegetation patterns. These changes were shaped by landscape manipulation, influenced by shoreline movement and population mobility. Together these processes left enduring ecological legacies along the northwestern coast of Guyana.

Abstract: The rapid pace of urban growth in the 21st century has transformed cities into complex and interconnected systems that extend far beyond their municipal boundaries. As urbanisation intensifies, the terminology associated with city expansion-particularly metropolitan areas and metropolitan regions is frequently used interchangeably, even though they represent conceptually distinct spatial, functional, and governance entities. Understanding the difference between these two frameworks is essential in urban and regional planning, transport planning, public policy, and sustainable development. This paper provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of metropolitan areas and metropolitan regions by examining their definitions, boundaries, functional characteristics, governance structures, socio-economic influence, and planning implications. Drawing insights from global examples and detailed case studies from India-including Delhi NCR, Mumbai MMR, and Bengaluru BMR-the paper highlights key similarities and contrasts and argues that while metropolitan areas represent the compact, continuous urban footprint, metropolitan regions reflect a broader sphere of economic, functional, and socio-spatial influence extending into peri-urban and rural territories. The study underscores the importance of adopting regionally integrated planning approaches to address contemporary challenges, such as transportation connectivity, land-use fragmentation, environmental stress, and socio-economic disparities. It concludes by emphasizing the need for coordinated governance models and integrated metropolitan regional planning frameworks to support sustainable urban futures.

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This study presents a zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of the remaining portion of the Mousterian faunal assemblage from Unit A9 at Grotta di Fumane (northeastern Italy), offering refined insights into Neanderthal subsistence behaviour during Marine Isotope Stage 3. Building on the previously published analysis of the principal portion of the assemblage [1], the new data reaffirm a subsistence strategy focused on selective transport and intensive on-site processing of high-utility carcass components. The ungulate assemblage—dominated by Cervus elaphus and Capreolus capreolus, with additional contributions from Rupicapra rupicapra and Capra ibex—characterised by the dominance of hindlimb elements, moderate cranial representation, and a pronounced scarcity of axial remains. These patterns indicate that carcass reduction commenced at kill sites, where low-yield trunk segments were removed, while high-nutritional-value limb portions were preferentially transported to the cave for secondary processing. Taphonomic indicators, including abundant cut marks, percussion notches, and extensive bone fragmentation, demonstrate systematic defleshing, marrow extraction, and possible grease rendering within the cave, activities that were spatially associated with combustion features. Occasional cranial transport suggests targeted acquisition of high-fat tissues such as brains and tongue, behaviour consistent with cold-climate optimisation strategies documented in both ethnographic and experimental contexts. Collectively, the evidence indicates that Unit A9 served as a residential locus embedded within a logistically organised mobility system, where carcass processing, resource exploitation, and lithic activities were closely integrated. These findings reinforce the broader picture of late Neanderthals as adaptable and behaviourally sophisticated foragers capable of strategic planning and efficient exploitation of ungulate prey within the dynamic environments of northern Italy.

Abstract: This comprehensive study presents a systematic longitudinal analysis of reading habit decline across the past twenty years (2004-2024), integrating empirical evidence from book sales data, literacy assessments, library circulation statistics, and behavioral surveys across multiple demographics and geographic regions. Using time-series analysis on 236,270 participants from the American Time Use Survey, we document a statistically significant decline in daily reading for pleasure with a prevalence ratio of 0.97 (95\% CI: 0.97, 0.98, p< 0.001), representing an annual decrease of 3\%. We introduce the Reading Engagement Decline Model (REDM), a novel theoretical framework incorporating digital media competition parameters, socioeconomic stratification factors, and neuroplasticity considerations. Our analysis reveals that print book sales declined from 843.1 million units (2021) to 788.7 million units (2022), while literacy proficiency scores decreased from 61\% (1992) to 49\% (2022) of adults reading at least one book annually. The study identifies critical disparities across demographic segments, with Black populations experiencing 3.2 times greater decline rates compared to White populations, and individuals with lower educational attainment showing 2.8 times steeper decreases. Through mathematical modeling using differential equations, we quantify the relationship between screen time exposure (average increase from 23 minutes/day to < 16 minutes/day reading vs. 3+ hours screen time) and reading comprehension deterioration. We propose the Reading Habit Restoration Framework (RHRF), an evidence-based intervention strategy incorporating targeted policy recommendations, educational reforms, and technological integration approaches. Our findings demonstrate an urgent need for multi-sector intervention to address this literacy crisis, with implications for educational policy, economic productivity, cognitive development, and social mobility.

Abstract: Background: The intensification of global mobility demands robust tools to assess the psychological impact of cross-cultural transitions. Existing instruments are critiqued for their failure to capture the dynamic stress-coping process, as outlined by Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) transactional model. Aim: This study developed and piloted the Inventory of Stress and Resilience in Cross-cultural Mobility (IERM-T), a novel instrument designed to fill this critical theoretical and psychometric gap. Method: The multilingual IERM-T (Portuguese, Spanish, English) was administered via a custom R Shiny application. A comprehensive R-based psychometric analysis was conducted on data from a pilot sample (N=42), performing exploratory factor analysis, reliability estimation, and longitudinal assessment of 107 emotion-coping episodes. Results: The IERM-T demonstrated strong psychometric properties: excellent internal consistency for the Symptoms scale (α = .938), good for Stressors and Emotions (α = .887), and acceptable for Well-being (α = .748). Factor analyses revealed clear structures (e.g., 2-factor for Stressors and Emotions), and longitudinal data confirmed stable emotional patterns. Criterion validity was robust, with a strong negative correlation between symptoms and a novel psychometric resilience score (r = -.846). Conclusion: The IERM-T provides a valid, reliable, and theoretically grounded tool that moves beyond cataloging stressors to dynamically assess appraisal, coping, and resilience, offering significant promise for research and clinical practice in cross-cultural contexts.

Abstract: This study presents an integrated analytical approach that combines Space Syntax metrics with user-experience data to examine spatial patterns, perceptual tendencies, and sustainability-related considerations on university campuses. Using the Balkan Campus as a case study, the analysis reveals a pronounced center–periphery structure shaped by the campus’s historical growth and linear development pattern. Background: The study is situated within broader discussions of how spatial configuration influences user perceptions and sustainability-related experiences in campus environments. Methods: Higher integration, connectivity, and visibility values occurred in areas that respondents more frequently described as offering either clear or unclear navigational conditions, reflecting overlapping spatial and perceptual tendencies without implying causation. Regression analyses identified notable associations between user satisfaction and factors such as wayfinding difficulty, the availability of social spaces, and cleanliness–hygiene conditions. Results: Social and green areas were also closely associated with positive evaluations, paralleling themes discussed in sustainability and environmental-psychology literature. The combined interpretation of spatial and perceptual data provides a complementary perspective for understanding campus environments and may offer contextual insight for future planning discussions related to accessibility, environmental comfort, perceived safety, and spatial equity. Conclusions: The proposed integrated framework holds potential relevance not only for university campuses but also for broader applications in urban-design research and public-space assessment.

Abstract: Launched as part of the ‘France 2030’ plan, the ‘La Grande Fabrique de l’Image’ (GFI) call for projects aims to transform the French audiovisual ecosystem through massive support for production infrastructures. This paper analyses the GFI as a lens through which to examine the transformations in French cultural policy, specifically the doctrinal shift from supporting ‘filières’ () such as film and television, to supporting a broader sector : the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs). Drawing on the history of technical industries, cluster theory, and a critical analysis of official documents (parliamentary reports, needs assessments, Court of Auditors’ reports, CNC balance sheets), this article demonstrates that the GFI is orchestrating a major strategic shift : the move from a support policy traditionally centred on works and authors (‘politique des auteurs’) to an industrial policy of ‘studio-ization’ (the systemic development of studio-based ecosystems in France), which places infrastructure at the heart of the value-creation process. This shift, however, proves to be paradoxical: by promoting ‘technical quality’ as a pillar of competitiveness, it revives the imaginary of the ‘qualité française’ (French Quality) cinema of the 1930s–1950s, while creating tension with the legacy of the ‘politique des auteurs’ that has shaped the doctrine governing film subsidies since 1959. Critical analysis of the programme also reveals its limitations (biases in the assessment of training needs, a lack of economic impact data) and the reactive role of the CNC, which is compelled to integrate an industrial logic that is no longer natural to it. The conclusion questions the ability of this new industrial order to coexist sustainably with the cultural model upon which French cinema has hitherto been built.

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This article develops a structural–analogical framework to investigate conceptual resonances between Qur’an 24:35—the Verse of Light—and contemporary relational models in physics, while maintaining firm epistemic boundaries between theology, philosophy, and empirical science. The Qur’anic metaphors of niche, glass, tree, oil, and layered light depict a graded ontology of manifestation in which being unfolds through ordered relations grounded in a transcendent divine command (amr). By contrast, modern physics—as represented by quantum field theory, loop quantum gravity, and cosmological models—operates entirely within immanent causality, conceiving spacetime and matter as relational, dynamic, and structurally emergent. Despite their distinct registers, both discourses converge structurally around a shared grammar of potentiality, relation, and manifestation. Drawing on classical Islamic metaphysics—especially al-Ghazālī’s Mishkāt al-Anwār—alongside contemporary relational ontologies in physics (Smolin, Rovelli, Markopoulou), the article argues that “real time” functions as an ontological choice that conditions intelligibility, agency, and novelty. The Qur’anic notion of nūr is interpreted not as physical luminosity but as the metaphysical ground of determinability, while the quantum vacuum is treated as a field of latent potential—without suggesting empirical equivalence. Rather than concordism, the comparison highlights a structural resonance: both traditions affirm that reality is neither static nor substance-based, but arises through dynamic relational processes grounded—whether transcendently or immanently—in principled order.

Abstract:

This article reconceptualizes entropy not as a metaphysical substance but as a structural constraint that shapes the formation, energetic cost, and durability of records. It links the coarse-grained—and typically irreversible—flow of time to questions of moral responsibility and divine justice. Drawing on the second law of thermodynamics, information theory, and contemporary cosmology, it advances an analogical and operational framework in which actions are accountable because they leave energetically costly traces that resist erasure. Within a Qurʾānic metaphysical horizon, concepts such as kitāb (Book), ṣaḥīfa (Record), and tawba (Repentance) function as structural counterparts to informational inscription and revision, without reducing theological meaning to physical process. In contrast to Kantian ethics, which grounds moral law in rational autonomy, the Qurʾān situates responsibility within the irreversible structure of time. Understood in this way, entropy is not a threat to coherence but a condition for accountability. By placing the Qurʾānic vision in dialogue with modern science and theology, the article contributes to broader discussions on justice, agency, and the metaphysics of time within the science–religion discourse.

Abstract: Classical Platonism posits a transcendent realm of ideal Forms, but this metaphysical stance is difficult to reconcile with naturalistic accounts of knowledge and cognition. At the same time, cognitive science and biology increasingly rely on abstract structures, such as internal models, morphological constraints, and predictive priors, to explain behavior and organization. This paper proposes a naturalized reinterpretation of Platonism, grounded in the idea that form functions not as a static blueprint but as a constraint within generative processes. Drawing from process philosophy, computational neuroscience, and developmental biology, it introduces the framework of Cognitive Platonism/Platonic Cognition: the view that abstract structure is real insofar as it organizes system dynamics as process of becoming. Forms are not external templates but emergent patterns encoded in systems memory, inference, and interaction. They shape perception, morphogenesis, and agency by narrowing the space of viable trajectories, offering a principled solution to the problem of form within a naturalistic worldview.

Abstract: This paper undertakes an ontological remapping of the philosophy of mind in light of the theory of enactive inference. We argue that David Chalmers' famous "Hard Problem" of consciousness is not an isolated puzzle awaiting resolution, but rather the symptom of a deeper, flawed premise: the stubborn persistence of a substance ontology and classical binary logic in our thinking. By drawing on the historical "Jacobi Dilemma," we demonstrate that any attempt to grasp consciousness as an isolated property inevitably leads into logical dead-ends. As an alternative, we develop a "Processual Perspectivism" (Leidig, 2025). By integrating current neurobiological findings on criticality (Tucker et al., 2025) and the thermodynamics of living systems (Non-Equilibrium Steady States, NESS), we demonstrate that consciousness is not an additional ingredient but must be understood as the intrinsic, affectively regulated control structure of autopoietic processes. It is not the puzzle, but the very solution to the problem of life itself.

Abstract: From the 9th century onwards, Tāmdult was one of the three major caravan ports in west-ern Maghreb, alongside Sijilmāssa and Nūl Lamṭa. By the mid-20th century, the remains of dwellings, metallurgical production sites and fortifications had been located a few kilo-metres south of the present-day oasis of Aqqa, which is irrigated by the resurgence of the wadi of the same name. In 1999, our research, which was based on field surveys and aerial photographs, revealed exceptionally well-preserved traces of a large-scale agricultural system and an irrigation canal network adjacent to the ruins. This completed the picture of this pre-Saharan oasis. An initial study was published in 2011. However, the question of the chronological relationship between the two oases, Tāmdult and Aqqa, remained unre-solved. Processing recent satellite images (Airbus © 2023) of these two oases and creating a WebGIS interface now enables us to refine and correct our observations from 1999. This new data largely confirms our initial proposals, such as the joint development of an urban settlement and an agricultural area with an irrigation network. Furthermore, these new images show the branching structure of the various water distribution channels, the regu-larity of the agricultural land parcels and the existence of interstitial rural settlements. They thus reveal a hierarchy in this distribution that was perhaps insufficiently explored in our initial publication. Given the limited historical sources available, we can now make more informed arguments regarding the possibility of the two oases coexisting over time. We can also propose initial hypotheses about the main reasons for the abandonment of one of the oases and discuss the identity of their founders, which could be local tribal groups and/or branches of the Idrisid dynasty. The central issue of the dossier to which our contribution is addressed — 'The Role of Urban Elites in the Construction of Rural Landscape' — is adapted here to the specific characteristics of the pre-Saharan context in terms of both climate and settlement structure.

Abstract: In the twenty-first century, academic approaches to mysticism often risk reducing the Mystery to an object of erudition and historical distance, as if mystical experience belonged solely to a pre-modern past. Yet, when one encounters the “natural metaphors” that emerge within mystical writings—images of rivers, gardens, fire, and wind—it becomes almost impossible to silence the invitation to perceive the sacred as still unfolding in the present. This article proposes an embodied and associative reflection that brings into conversation the poetry of John of the Cross (1542–1591), the intimate diaries of Etty Hil-lesum (1914–1943), and the musical and visual work of the contemporary artist Björk Guðmundsdóttir (b. 1965). Through this triadic encounter, I argue that natural metaphors are not mere literary ornaments but symbolic languages that articulate the ineffable through the elemental languages of the earth. They sustain a theology of embodiment, re-lationality, and transformation that traverses epochs and artistic media. The study also seeks to fracture rigid and hegemonic readings that have confined mystical texts within colonial geographies of interpretation—readings that domesticate spiritual experience through rigid doctrinal frameworks. In contrast, this essay advocates for a decolonial hermeneutics of the mystical imagination, one that recognizes how the natural, the aes-thetic, and the spiritual interweave in the polyphony of the world. By reading John of the Cross, Hillesum, and Björk together, I suggest that mystical experience continues to unfold today through poetry, diary, and sound—where theology becomes not only a matter of thought but of vibration, beauty, and embodied openness to the Mystery.

Abstract: This paper examines structural differences between human creative workflows and generative AI music systems by synthesizing observations from prior work in creative cognition, AI ethics, and platform studies. The comparison focuses on variations in process visibility, transparency, and production scale, which may influence how authorship, provenance, and cultural value are interpreted in digital music environments. The analysis does not assess aesthetic quality or propose new theoretical constructs. Instead, it summarizes descriptive patterns identified across existing literature. The findings suggest that high-volume generative output, combined with limited process transparency, may resemble dynamics described in prior information-asymmetry research, though the correspondence is not definitive. The study aims to provide reference points for understanding how generative tools operate alongside human creative practices and how these structural characteristics may inform future discussions about digital creative ecosystems.