The article undertakes an exploration into the rather unexpected progressiveness exhibited by courts across the globe in bestowing protection upon LGBTQ rights. A three-pronged study, which encompasses an examination of the theoretical rationales, empirical investigations, and doctrinal underpinnings of the augmentation of LGBTQ rights in diverse locales, is executed. It is hypothesized that a prima facie paradox emerges, whereby LGBTQ rights have been safeguarded and advanced in an extraordinary fashion, while concurrently, a discernible general trend of deviation from liberal constitutionalism, rights safeguarding mechanisms, and the rule of law is observable in other arenas. This article scrutinizes this contention and discovers that it is substantiated by case law from various regions. Critical theory and Butler’s theory of performativity potentially offer the most cogent explanations for this paradox. They have led to the social embrace of LGBTQ rights, while simultaneously, the enactment or amplification of these rights even in illiberal states furnishes an effortless ‘triumph’ for illiberal political actors, which can be employed as a countermeasure against assaults on their liberal and democratic reputations.

Accurate drug-drug interaction (DDI) prediction is essential to prevent adverse effects, especially with the increased use of multiple medications during the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditional machine learning methods often miss the complex relationships necessary for effective DDI prediction. This study introduces a deep learning-based classification framework to assess adverse effects from interactions between Fluvoxamine and Curcumin. Our model integrates a wide range of drug-related data (e.g., molecular structures, targets, side effects) and synthesizes them into high-level features through a specialized deep neural network (DNN). This approach significantly outperforms traditional classifiers in accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. Additionally, our framework enables real-time DDI monitoring, which is particularly valuable in COVID-19 patient care. The model’s success in accurately predicting adverse effects demonstrates the potential of deep learning to enhance drug safety and support personalized medicine, paving the way for safer, data-driven treatment strategies.

Using the Intercultural Competence and Inclusion in Education Scale (ICIES), this study examines variations in intercultural competence and inclusion between mainstream and multiethnic high schools. The sample consisted of 384 high school students, aged 17 to 18, from both rural and urban areas in Western Romania, enrolled in grades 11 and 12. The ICIES demonstrated strong reliability, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.721. Exploratory factor analysis revealed three distinct dimensions: Intercultural opportunities and activities, Comfort in diverse settings, and Cultural reflection and values. Independent samples t-tests identified significant differences between mainstream and multiethnic schools across several items, with students in multiethnic schools reporting higher levels of intercultural competence and inclusion. These findings highlight the critical role of multicultural educational settings in fostering students' cultural awareness and inclusive attitudes. This study provides actionable insights for enhancing multicultural education practices and policies, including teacher training programs, inclusive curricula, and extracurricular initiatives that promote intercultural engagement and reduce intergroup biases.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an important concept of modern economic theory. In the last few decades, it has become an increasingly popular marketing tool used by companies. Consumers too want to see more CSR activities, especially those focused on environmental protection. The petroleum industry produces both toxic and non-toxic waste at almost all stages of production. While petroleum companies satisfy market demand, they also want to meet consumers’ moral and ethical demands. In this light, CSR has become vital for the development of industry. This paper looks at CSR in the petroleum industry, and its effect on customer satisfaction and subsequently toward the customer repurchase intention in Malaysia. The starting point of this paper is the Stakeholder Theory. It then examines CSR endeavors within the oil and gas sector and its link to customer repurchase intentions. It also looks at the established hypotheses between the activities of CSR (Economic Responsibility, Legal Responsibility, Ethical Responsibility, Philanthropic Responsibility), customer satisfaction and repurchase intention. This paper aims to learn about the customer’s sense of fulfilment with the CSR activities, and what could be the reaction base on the customer’s expectation.