Generative AI tools often answer questions using source documents, e.g., through retrieval augmented generation. Current groundedness and hallucination evaluations largely frame the relationship between an answer and its sources as binary (the answer is either supported or unsupported). However, this obscures both the syntactic moves (e.g., direct quotation vs. paraphrase) and the interpretive moves (e.g., induction vs. deduction) performed when models reformulate evidence into an answer. This limits both benchmarking and user-facing provenance interfaces. We propose the development of a reader-centred taxonomy of grounding as a set of support relations between generated statements and source documents. We explain how this might be synthesised from prior research in linguistics and philosophy of language, and evaluated through a benchmark and human annotation protocol. Such a framework would enable interfaces that communicate not just whether a claim is grounded, but how.
International practice theory (IPT) posits the primacy of empirics over theorisation, but what counts as empirical data? In this article, we discuss IPT scholars’ methodological preferences, specifically their prioritisation of ethnographic research over text-based analysis, the latter being understood as providing inferior access to practices. To contribute to a revision of IPT’s dismissive stance towards document analysis, we suggest bringing IPT in conversation with Critical Archival Studies (CAS) – a body of scholarship grounded in a relational and dynamic ontology of archives and committed to analyses of their embeddedness in politics and power relations. We argue that IPT can benefit from activating an analytical sensibility towards the archival practices of record-making, record-keeping and record-using. To support this argument and demonstrate its analytical value, we revisit official accounts of the interactions between interveners and the ‘targets of intervention’ during the United Nations’ Transitional Authority in Cambodia. Through an in-depth analysis of a unique archival collection of 835 Khmer-language letters the Cambodian people sent to Radio United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) in 1993, we provide new perspectives on the people’s lived experiences during the intervention, while also illuminating the implications of archives in the enabling and justification of dominant intervention practices.
International agreements about AI development may be required to reduce catastrophic risks from advanced AI systems. However, agreements about such a high-stakes technology must be backed by verification mechanisms--processes or tools that give one party greater confidence that another is following the agreed-upon rules, typically by detecting violations. This report gives an overview of potential verification approaches for three example policy goals, aiming to demonstrate how countries could practically verify claims about each other's AI development and deployment. The focus is on international agreements and state-involved AI development, but these approaches could also be applied to domestic regulation of companies. While many of the ideal solutions for verification are not yet technologically feasible, we emphasize that increased access (e.g., physical inspections of data centers) can often substitute for these technical approaches. Therefore, we remain hopeful that significant political will could enable ambitious international coordination, with strong verification mechanisms, to reduce catastrophic AI risks.
The Fifteenth International Workshop on Non-Classical Models of Automata and Applications (NCMA 2025) was held in Loughborough, UK, on July 21 and 22, 2025, organized by the Department of Computer Science at Loughborough University and co-located with the 26th International Conference on Descriptional Complexity of Formal Systems (DCFS 2025, 22-24 July). The NCMA workshop series was established in 2009 as an annual event for researchers working on non-classical and classical models of automata, grammars or related devices. Such models are investigated both as theoretical models and as formal models for applications from various points of view. The goal of the NCMA workshop series is to exchange and develop novel ideas in order to gain deeper and interdisciplinary coverage of this particular area that may foster new insights and substantial progress.
Through bibliometric analysis and topic modeling, we find that artificial intelligence (AI) is positively transforming geosciences research, with a notable increase in AI-related scientific output in recent years. We are encouraged to observe that earth scientists from developing countries have gained better visibility in the recent AI for Science (AI4S) paradigm and that AI is also improving the landscape of international collaboration in geoscience-related research.
S M Rafee Adnan, Muhammad Jobair Hasan, Ahmad Al-Imtiaz
et al.
Strong lensing by massive galaxies probes their mass distribution, thus providing a window to study their internal structure, i.e., the distributions of luminous and dark matter. In this paper, we investigate the relation between the internal structure of massive elliptical galaxies and their environment using a sample of 15 strong lensing systems. We performed lens modeling for them using Lenstronomy and constrained the mass and light distributions of the deflector galaxies. We adopt the local galaxy density as a metric for the environment and test our results against several alternative definitions of it. We robustly find that the centroid offset between the mass and light is not correlated with the local galaxy density. This result supports using centroid offsets as a probe of dark matter theories since the environment's impact on it can be treated as negligible. Although we find a moderate to strong correlation between the position angle offset and the standard definition of the local galaxy density, consistent with previous studies, the correlation becomes weaker for alternative definitions of the local galaxy density. This result weakens the support for interpreting the position angle misalignment as having originated from interaction with the environment. Furthermore, we find the 'residual shear' magnitude in the lens model to be uncorrelated with the local galaxy density, supporting the interpretation of the residual shear originating, in part, from the inadequacy in modeling the angular structure of the lensing galaxy and not solely from the structures present in the environment or along the line of sight.
This article analyzes the norms of behavior in the Russian public service and Islam. A comparative and structural study of the behaviors typical of public officials and Muslims was carried out. It was proposed to revise the legal provisions on international and foreign economic relations and personal qualities. The results obtained show that public officials can adhere to any faith (Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, etc.), as all religions promote fundamental human values and encourage behaviors that are advantageous for society. It was found that the social norms of behavior are universal regardless of legal system, legal status, or social affiliation. All citizens, whether in public service or the Islamic community, must follow these norms because they aim to uphold justice and equality. The importance of fostering cooperation between Russia, through the Republic of Tatarstan, and the Muslim world was emphasized.
History of scholarship and learning. The humanities
Based on the manifold implications of the relationship between cyber risk management and digital transformation, the present paper intends to perform a bibliometric analysis stressing the main topics which have been investigated so far under this overarching research theme. The aim is to conduct a structured examination of cyber risk management in the context of digital transformation, with a focus on management practices. The bibliometric analysis was conducted following the steps in the PRISMA guidelines. 73 sources retrieved from Scopus database were analysed, covering 37 papers presented at conferences, 24 articles published in scientific journals, 8 book chapters and 1 full book together with 2 reviews and 1 conference review. In terms of research areas, the majority of studies came from the disciplines of engineering, computer science and social sciences. By using various approaches to assess cyber risks, the bibliometric analysis provides a solid framework for understanding and managing threats in a systematic and effective way. Moreover, the analyses reflect discrepancies between the perceived level of cybersecurity requirements and the actual level of preparedness and awareness of cyber risks in various industry sectors. This underlines the need for a more comprehensive and proactive approach to cybersecurity management, taking into account not only technologies and protection methods, but also cultural and organisational aspects.
Economics as a science, Business records management
Sue Aran-Ramspott, Oihane Korres-Alonso, Iciar Elexpuru-Albizuri
et al.
One of the major challenges for edu-communication research is to analyze the influence of social media on young and adolescent users. This article examines the evaluation of gender inequalities – real and symbolic – in the consumption of social networks such as YouTube and Instagram among young people. Within the framework of a Research & Development & innovation (R&D + i) project, it presents a discursive-theoretical analysis of how young users of social media perceive the presence and representation of gender on social media and whether such digital representations can be associated with an empowering gender perspective. This study presents results from 14 focus groups (N = 83), composed of students aged 12 to 18, drawn from three Spanish Autonomous Communities (Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and the Basque Country). The results show that gender issues arise in participants’ conversations, especially among female participants, who perceive the importance of physical appearance on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Female participants feel more pressure in terms of appearance and dress compared to male participants. Among male participants there are more expressions of self-affirmation and more mentions related to fun and social prestige. Both male and female participants express concern about the impact of that pressure on younger girls. The influence of social media on self-image is more evident among female participants, who make frequent mention of the importance of self-esteem in relation to beauty standards and exposure to idealized body images. Notably, there were no comments by male participants that acknowledge any influence of social media on their self-image. The findings are in line with existing research and taken as a whole gives rise to concern as to the gender disparities observed in the use of social media, which do not constitute a picture of female empowerment. This research underlines the importance of promoting a respectful and equitable environment in relation to gender equality within digital spaces. Thus, this study provides support for the need to develop and implement edu-communicative initiatives to foster critical thinking around the influence of social media in this context and the evaluation of the impact of such initiatives in future research.
International Relations (IR) scholarship on Global Social Movements (GSMs) has helped usher in post-realist theories, such as constructivism and critical IR. Despite its innovativeness, extant GSM research is limited because it ignores the relevance of the Global Animal Advocacy Movement (GAAM), which seeks to end animal exploitation. The omission of GAAM is emblematic of IR’s anthropocentric disregard of the relevance of animals in global politics. An emergent literature recognizes the importance of animals in IR, and this paper contributes to the establishment of this animal-inclusive IR by examining the significance of GAAM. First, it demonstrates that GAAM fits the criteria of a GSM; therefore, it is worthy of study in IR. Additionally, this paper argues that IR should recognize that nonhuman animals also participate in GAAM. Both arguments not only demonstrate GAAM’s relevance, but they should also contribute to the development of an animal-inclusive IR. The paper closes by advocating for a methodologically diverse research agenda on GAAM.
Wargames have been present in various parts of the world in different forms since the early periods of history. The version used today emerged in the early 19th century in Prussia. Until the mid-20th century, wargames were primarily used in professional military education and training. However, with the widespread popularity of hobby games having military history themes, wargames began to make their presence felt in academia in the 1950s and academic wargames began to be played for educational and analytic purposes in the 1970s. Especially from the 2000s onwards, wargames have found a limited but growing place in academia and have become a subject of study in classrooms, moving towards becoming an independent academic discipline. These games are increasingly played for academic purposes, particularly in the fields of military history and international relations. However, Turkish academia has remained somewhat distant from wargames for various reasons. Nevertheless, positive outcomes have been obtained by experimenting with wargames in Turkish academia. This article evaluates the potential methods for Turkish academics to make use of wargames for academic purposes.
Islamic terrorist groups such as the Islamic State or Boko Haram have made a name for themselves by, among other things, their violent and brutal nature in managing affairs. As such, this article aims to investigate the origin of these practices. This paper investigates the particularities of radical Islamist ideology as illustrated through the prism of author Abu Bakr Naji. Also, the research at hand aims to shed light on the nature of Islamic terrorism and to provide an insight into the ideology behind this movement. Therefore, this paper aims to establish the connection between the theory presented by Abu Bakr Naji and the practical procedures applied by Islamist groups. The author presents Islamist ideology in his work, while illustrating its application through examples. It can be said that he offers instructions, thus creating a manual for putting radical Islamist ideology into practice. This paper aims to explain the actions and modus operandi of terrorist groups, researching and extrapolating from the author mentioned above. At the same time, this paper is meant to illustrate that the practices of Islamist groups are not random, but have a strong theoretical and ideological foundation. From this point of view, the present investigation covers points such as terrorist group violence, loyalty to authority, as well as propaganda and expansion. The following will present the perspective of Islamist terrorist organizations on their approach in practice to achieve their goals. From the conduct of this investigation, the similarity between the theoretical instructions formulated by author Abu Bakr Naji and the practical application conducted by organizations such as the Islamic State and Boko Haram can be seen.
International relations, Political science (General)
Introduction. State descriptions of the northern peasant volosts of Russia demonstrate the features and techniques of business writing, typical for the Russian Middle Ages and early modern times. Methods and materials. The article analyzes scribal and census books for several villages of the volost Kurgomen of the Podvinskaya quarter of the Vazhsky district beyond the middle 17th – first half 18 centuries. On the basis of a microanalysis of peasant genealogies, several family clans of peasants living in neighboring villages were identified, the family surnames of the peasants were investigated. Analysis. The development or extinction of peasant clans, and some features of intra-family relations and the dynamics of population displacement at the village / volost level have been traced. The given data confirm the well-known fact that during the censuses, some of the peasants were hiding from the description. The period of Peter I caused heavy damage to the northern villages. The analyzed material shows that only large family clans were able to preserve themselves and their importance in the parish. Results. The results obtained in the article relate not only to the process of folding the branched peasant clans, which played a significant role in the volost and parish, defending, first of all, their own interests, but also the problems of the reliability of state descriptions.
History of Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics, International relations
Arushan Arushanovich Vartumyan, David Sergeyevich Fedotov
The Syrian crisis is most difficult today an interlacing of geopolitical contradictions where the multi-vector interests of global players - the USA and Russia and regional find the collision: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran. In article an attempt of the analysis of the causes of civil war in Syria and its influence on geopolitical safety not only on regional, but also at the international level is made.
This study explores the societal embeddedness of the websites of research projects. It combines two aims: characterizing research projects based on their weblink relationships, and discovering external societal actors that relate to the projects via weblinks. The study was based on a set of 121 EU-funded research projects and their websites. Domains referring to the websites of the research projects were collected and used in visualizations of co-link relationships. These analyses revealed clusters of topical similarity among the research projects as well as among referring entities. Furthermore, a first step into unveiling potentially relevant stakeholders around research projects was made. Weblink analysis is discussed as an insightful tool for monitoring the internal and external linkages of research projects, representing a relevant application of webometric methods.
We address the question how sensitive international knowledge flows respond to geo-political conflicts taking the politico-economic tensions between EU-Russia since the Ukraine crisis 2014 as case study. We base our econometric analysis on comprehensive data covering more than 500 million scientific publications and 8 million international co-publications between 1995 and 2018. Our findings indicate that the imposition of EU sanctions and Russian counter-sanctions from 2014 onwards has significant negative effects on bilateral international scientific co-publication rates between EU countries and Russia. Depending on the chosen control group and sectors considered, effect size ranges from 15% to 70%. Effects are also observed to grow over time.
Eurocentrism is criticized in many academic fields, such as International Relations, History, and many other social science fields. Over the last decades, numerous scholars demonstrated relationships between inequalities and Eurocentric approaches towards many regional studies. Many scholars whose origins are from the Middle East have cited postcolonial literature, such as Said’s criticism of Orientalism, as examples of dominant Euro-centric perspectives. Others cited problems of dominant perspectives in social sciences of being Euro-centric, notably, Wallerstein (1997). Therefore, Eurocentric view, narrowing alternativist perspectives can become a problem in the aimed universality. This article does not intend to criticize the critiques of Euro-centric perspectives but rather caution on pitfalls of reactionary approaches to Eurocentric malaise. The discussion is centered on rhetoric that often criticizes Orientalism, to the expense of not contributing viable alternatives to social development. The article takes a threefold approach. First, Euro-centrism in IR, particularly IR Theory, and mainstream History and Social Sciences, in general, are discussed. The second part focuses on Orientalism and Postcolonial literature and warns on reactionary pitfalls. The third part emphasizes the importance of universalism in literature, arts, and sciences. In order to emphasize universalism, the difference of authors such as Amin Maalouf is provided as examples of those who raised awareness and alternative perspectives from the MENA regions without necessarily taking a reactionary approach. The conclusion discusses the analysis and makes recommendations.
The case of the first genocide of the 20th century, committed by German colonial troops against Ovaherero and Nama peoples in what is today Namibia, poses a significant ethical and political challenge not only in practice but also for International Relations theory and theorising. We develop our critical analysis by building on postcolonial critiques of eurocentrism in IR and world politics, and on critical historiographies of the discipline. In particular, we show how the bedrock of dominant international institutional arrangements in the early 20th century rests on a normative inversion, which can be explicated clearly in the context of the Ovaherero and Nama experiences. The normative inversion is manifested in the claims to supreme moral authority for continued European colonial rule in the aftermath of genocidal violence. While the League of Nations (LoN), and the legacies of imperialism have increasingly been addressed in historiographies of IR, neither this normative inversion, nor its political implications have been explicated in the way we pursue this here. Through the lens of our case, we argue that how IR and IR theory conventionally conceive of the international political order is not plausible or justifiable in light of the normative inversion. The struggles for justice and restorative relations by Ovaherero and Nama peoples draw attention to necessary shifts in political practices. The case signals the need for a more fundamental rethinking of premises in international political theory, and of global public political history. This can be meaningfully addressed by acknowledging and explicitly processing the implications of the normative inversion, its antecedent conditions, and its continuing presence in world ordering.
Communities on the planet are faced with complex challenges: changing relations within and between human communities, changing relations with ecological and climatic conditions, and shifts in technology-human interconnections. The complex interconnections across issue areas – migration, environmental degradation and new technologies, for example – demand that scholars increasingly think across theories, paradigms, specialisms and disciplines. But how should we ‘hold things together’ as we try to make sense of complex realities in International Relations (IR)? This introductory article to the Special Issue ‘Facing human interconnections: thinking International Relations into the future’ discusses the open thematic of ‘human interconnections’ that is used to loosely structure the contributions. Analysis of human interconnections, as understood here, does not have a precise or fixed definition but is considered an open-ended notion with varied meanings and dimensions. Indeed, the authors engage it here in varied ways to explore their empirical, theoretical and political concerns. Yet, this notion also allows for interesting new questions to be posed on the potential and limits of IR as it faces the future, and debates around how we see interconnections between issue areas and ‘-isms’, how IR constructs ‘humans’ or ‘non-humans’ in interconnections, and what is at stake in bringing to our attention unacknowledged interconnections. Here we set out why human interconnection is an interesting notion to work with and why we need to keep its meaning open-ended. We also provide an account of six different orientations we observe amongst the authors tackling the dynamics of human interconnections in this Special Issue.
The move to university life is characterized by strong emotions, some of them negative, such as loneliness, anxiety, and depression. These negative emotions are strengthened due to the obligatory lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous research indicates association among the use of social media, university satisfaction, and the aforementioned emotions. We report findings from 248 international undergraduates in The Netherlands, all students at the International School of Business. Our results indicate strong correlations between anxiety, loneliness, and COVID-19-related stress with university satisfaction together with social capital. Keywords: COVID-19; Pandemic; lockdown; loneliness; depression; anxiety; international students