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In contemporary society, the increased reliance on social media as a vital news source has facilitated the spread of disinformation that has potential polarising effects. Disinformation, false information deliberately crafted to deceive recipients, has escalated to the extent that it is now acknowledged as a significant cybersecurity concern. To proactively tackle this issue, and minimise the risk of negative outcomes associated with disinformation, this research presents a typology of disinformation intentionality and impact (DII) to understand the intentionality and impact of disinformation threats. The typology draws upon information manipulation theory and risk management principles to evaluate the potential impact of disinformation campaigns with respect to their virality and polarising impact. The intentionality of disinformation spread is related to its believability among susceptible consumers, who are likely to propagate the disinformation to others if they assess it to be believable. Based on the dimensions of intentionality and impact, the DII typology can be used to categorise disinformation threats and identify strategies to mitigate its risk. To illustrate its utility for evaluating the risk posted by disinformation campaigns, the DII typology is applied to a case study. We propose risk mitigation strategies as well as recommendations for addressing disinformation campaigns spread through social media platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the political aspects of the perception of science. The relevance of the topic is underpinned, among other things, by the public policy significance of trust in science and the links between national science and national identity. The literature relates the perception of science to ideological positions on the one hand, and to partisan bias on the other. The research underlying the study investigated the relationship between respondents’ attitudes towards science and their political preferences using a representative questionnaire sample of 1000 Hungarian respondents. In Hungary, characterised by a high degree of partisan polarisation, we expected the influence of party preference rather than ideological position on the perception of science. A detailed exploration of attitudes yielded more nuanced results than assumed: those who identified themselves as right-wing were less pro-science in general, but the utilitarian perception of science was influenced by party preference in addition to education, i.e. voters of the current government expected more utility and economic returns from science. The perception of science was also influenced by the level of political information. The study also relates the impact of partisan bias to the reception of science policy measures of the Orbán governments.

Aim: The aim of this study was to uncover perspectives on the COVID‐19 pandemic and the responses implemented by the UK and Scottish Governments to help control the spread of infection. Such understanding could help to inform future responses to pandemics at individual, community and national levels. Method: Q methodology was used to elicit perspectives from people in England and Scotland with different experiences of the pandemic including public health officials, key workers, those on furlough, those who were unvaccinated or vaccinated to different levels, those who were 'shielding' because they were at higher risk and people with different scientific expertise. Participants rank‐ordered phrases about different aspects of COVID‐19 according to their viewpoint. Factor analysis was then conducted in conjunction with interview material from the same respondents. Results: A four‐factor solution was statistically supported and was interpretable alongside the qualitative accounts of participants loading on these factors. These four perspectives are titled Dangerous and Unaccountable Leadership, Fear and Anger at Policy and Public responses, Governing Through a Crisis and Injustices Exposed. Conclusion: The four perspectives demonstrate plurality and nuance in views on COVID‐19 and the associated policies and restrictions, going beyond a binary narrative that has been apparent in popular and social media. The four perspectives include some areas of common ground, as well as disagreement. We argue that understanding the detail of different perspectives might be used to build cohesion around policy initiatives in future. Patient or Public Contribution: The development of the statement set, which is rank‐ordered by participants in a Q study, and factor interpretations were informed by views of the general public. The statement set was initially developed using existing publicly available material based on members of the general public experiencing the pandemic first hand. It was then piloted with members of the public experiencing different challenges as a result of COVID‐19 and the subsequent lockdown and updated based on feedback. Finally, interpretations of the identified factors were presented publicly and edited according to their feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political polarisation has become an increasingly alarming issue in society, exacerbated by the widespread use of social media and the development of filter bubbles among social media users. This environment has left users susceptible to disinformation, especially those with whom a user is politically aligned. In this research, we integrate truth bias, elaboration likelihood model and new media literacy into a model for explaining social media engagement (with both disinformation and factual information) and analysing how political polarisation (operationalised as political alignment between users) influences perceptions and behaviours. Using an experimental design, we analyse the model separately for posts containing disinformation and factual information, highlighting key differences. Political alignment positively moderates truth bias's effect on engagement with disinformation. For both disinformation and factual information, political alignment moderates the effect of generalised communicative suspicion (GCS) on truth bias, such that GCS's effect on truth bias flips from negative to positive as political alignment increases. Issue involvement and political alignment appear to be the primary drivers of disinformation engagement, with critical consuming media literacy failing to mitigate engagement. Our findings contribute to the understanding of persuasion, conviction, amplification, polarisation and aversion related to fake news on social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Foro Internacional is the property of El Colegio de Mexico AC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Critique of Law: Independent Legal Studies / Krytyka Prawa: Niezalezne Studia nad Prawem is the property of Akademia Leona Kozminskiego and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The digital transformations of contemporary media systems have had severe consequences for democracy and public debates. This introductory article addresses key challenges of what we refer to as varieties of “digital disintegration” within democratic societies. The eight contributions in the special issue are thematised in three parts. The first part explores disintegration within the context of political communication during elections, including data-driven campaigning, populism, and politicised forms of news production. The second part delves into the role of alternative news curators, audience polarisation, and issues of self-censorship in digital information environments. The third part centres on deliberative norms connected to content moderation of user comments within legacy media and the consequences digitalisation has had on journalistic sourcing practices and source diversity over time. The contributions offer valuable empirical insights, as well as new lines of thinking concerning democracy and digital and disintegrative transformations in the Nordic region and beyond.

Abstract With the advent of constellations of SAR satellites, and the possibility of swarms of SAR UAV's, there is increased interest in multistatic SAR image formation. This may provide advantages including allowing three‐dimensional image formation free of clutter overlay; the coherent combination of bistatic SAR geometries for improved image resolution; and the collection of additional scattering information, including polarimetric. The polarimetric collection may provide useful target information, such as its orientation, polarisability, or number of interactions with the radar signal; distributed receivers would be more likely to capture any bright specular responses from targets in the scene, making target outlines distinct. Highlight results from multistatic polarimetric SAR experiments at the Cranfield University GBSAR laboratory are presented, illustrating the utility of the approach for fully sampled 3D SAR image formation, and for sparse aperture SAR 3D point‐cloud generation with a newly developed volumetric multistatic interferometry algorithm.

In this article, we investigate the rhetorical uses and media frames associated with the term polarisation in Swedish print media from 2010 to 2021. We first produce a qualitative and detailed assessment of a sample of 240 articles and then proceed to a computational (word2vec) analysis of all major Swedish newspaper articles including the term (N = 32,805). We find that the term has changed its rhetorical function over time. Initially used to describe, – that is, used as a technical descriptor of events and issues in society – this use later became increasingly vague and general. Instead, it has been rhetorically used to amplify, implying a sense of urgency, conflict, or threat. Over time, the term has been used increasingly frequently, but has been applied less to Sweden and, instead, most often associated with political actors and events in the US. Moreover, we find that, for Sweden, the term polarisation was mostly related to social and political issues, whereas for the US, it carried affective associations.

In recent times, many scholars have highlighted the emergence of group-based polarisation within Western societies. Research has demonstrated that this phenomenon has also reached educational settings, where groups of adolescents are opposed to each other. Surprisingly little has been written, though, on group-based polarisation in the classroom. This study examines along which lines (e.g. ethnic, socio-economic, or religious), how often and under which conditions group polarisation manifests itself in the context of secondary school classrooms. It does so by theorising this phenomenon, hypothesising its most common manifestation as well as the factors that may favour group-based polarisation. Following an exploratory sequential mixed-methods research design, consisting of a qualitative pre-study (N = 31) and an original survey that was fielded among Dutch secondary school teachers (N = 1034), it then demonstrates that: group polarisation, as perceived by teachers, is relatively rare in Dutch secondary education, generally occurring once or a few times per year; that it manifests itself predominantly along ethnic lines, and that the ethnic composition of educational contexts, tracking, and different educational stages statistically predict this form of perceived group polarisation. Based on our findings we propose that teacher training, focusing on how to cope with group-based polarisation in the classroom should be context-specific and tailor-made.

AbstractWe present and experimentally demonstrate a seismic ambient noise monitoring optical fibre sensor for early warning detection of sinkholes. The developed optical fibre sensor is designed for warning alert of subsidence and cover collapse sinkholes. The progressive process of sinkhole development causes structural change in the subterranean surface. The impact of this change and its influence on the subsurface acoustic modes was detected in the form of variations in the spectral content of the ambient noise signals monitored in the subsurface. Structural surface integrity was monitored through frequency response as the void increased. Vibrational states relating to unsteady structural conditions were identified. Significant instability events were captured giving timely warnings before collapse. The polarisation based single mode fibre sensor and monitoring method is proposed for implementation in a phase sensitive distributed acoustic sensor setup. Peak frequencies in the micro-seismic noise band of 0.1 Hz to 1.0 Hz were observed through cavity development and growth. Extended peak frequency shifts and bandwidth in the band >1Hz were recorded, indicating weakness and imminence of collapse. Early warning detection by the structural field model was achieved prior to the sudden subsurface failure which results in collapse sinkholes. By monitoring variations in the vibrating frequency modes when a subsurface cavity develops within the structure, trigger events and collapse precursor conditions are identified. We have successfully demonstrated an early response warning annunciator by using an algorithm to analyse combinational characteristics of the spectral components of the detected signals. The fibre sensor reduces the risk and socio-economic impact of infrastructural damage due to sudden collapse of sinkholes and has extended potential of monitoring earthquakes and landslides.

This article explores the use of Sn nanoparticles to enhance the optical properties of PEDOT: PSS thin films. The study focuses on the impact of Sn concentration on the films' optical characteristics, particularly in relation to organic solar cells. The results indicate that incorporating Sn nanoparticles improves the energy bandgap values and decreases the dielectric constant of the films, resulting in improved transmittance velocity and increased efficacy of microelectronic devices. The findings suggest that Sn-incorporated PEDOT: PSS thin films have potential applications in the field of optoelectronics and microelectronics. [Extracted from the article]

We present deep total intensity and polarization observations of the Coma cluster at 1.4 and 6.6 GHz performed with the Sardinia Radio Telescope. By combining the single-dish 1.4 GHz data with archival Very Large Array observations, we obtain new images of the central radio halo and of the peripheral radio relic where we properly recover the brightness from the large-scale structures. At 6.6 GHz, we detect both the relic and the central part of the halo in total intensity and polarization. These are the highest frequency images available to date for these radio sources in this galaxy cluster. In the halo, we find a localized spot of polarized signal, with fractional polarization of about 45 per cent. The polarized emission possibly extends along the north-east side of the diffuse emission. The relic is highly polarized, up to 55 per cent, as usually found for these sources. We confirm the halo spectrum is curved, in agreement with previous single-dish results. The spectral index is α = 1.48 ± 0.07 at a reference frequency of 1 GHz and varies from α ≃ 1.1, at 0.1 GHz, up to α ≃ 1.8, at 10 GHz. We compare the Coma radio halo surface brightness profile at 1.4 GHz (central brightness and e-folding radius) with the same properties of the other haloes, and we find that it has one of the lowest emissivities observed so far. Reanalysing the relic's spectrum in the light of the new data, we obtain a refined radio Mach number of M = 2.9 ± 0.1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stokes parameters (S) on the Poincaré sphere are very useful values to describe the polarisation state of photons. However, the fundamental principle on the nature of polarisation is not completely understood, yet, because we have no concrete consensus on how to describe spin of photons, quantum-mechanically. Here, we have considered a monochromatic coherent ray of photons, described by a many-body coherent state, and established a fundamental basis to describe the spin state of photons, in connection with a classical description based on Stokes parameters. We show that a spinor description of the coherent state is equivalent to Jones vector for polarisation states, and obtain the spin operators (Ŝ) of all components based on rotators in an SU(2) group theory. Polarisation controllers such as phase-shifters and rotators are also obtained as quantummechanical field operators to change the phase of the wavefunction for polarisation states. We show that the Stokes parameters are quantummechanical average of the spin operators, S = ⟨Ŝ⟩. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media platforms such as Twitter/X are increasingly important for political communication but the empirical question as to whether such communication enhances democratic consensus building (the ideal of deliberative democracy) or instead contributes to societal polarisation via fostering of hate speech and "information disorders" such as echo chambers is worth exploring. Political deliberation involves reciprocal communication between users, but much of the recent research into politics on social media has focused on one-to-many communication, in particular the sharing and diffusion of information on Twitter via retweets. This paper presents a new approach to studying reciprocal political communication on Twitter, with a focus on extending network-analytic indicators of deliberation. We use the Twitter v2 API to collect a new dataset (#debatenight2020) of reciprocal communication on Twitter during the first debate of the 2020 US presidential election and show that a hashtag-based collection alone would have collected only 1% of the debate-related communication. Previous work into using social network analysis to measure deliberation has involved using discussion tree networks to quantify the extent of argumentation (maximum depth) and representation (maximum width); we extend these measures by explicitly incorporating reciprocal communication (via triad census) and the political partisanship of users (inferred via usage of partisan hashtags). Using these methods, we find evidence for reciprocal communication among partisan actors, but also point to a need for further research to understand what forms this communication takes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present and experimentally demonstrate a seismic ambient noise monitoring optical fibre sensor for early warning detection of sinkholes. The developed optical fibre sensor is designed for warning alert of subsidence and cover collapse sinkholes. The progressive process of sinkhole development causes structural change in the subterranean surface. The impact of this change and its influence on the subsurface acoustic modes was detected in the form of variations in the spectral content of the ambient noise signals monitored in the subsurface. Structural surface integrity was monitored through frequency response as the void increased. Vibrational states relating to unsteady structural conditions were identified. Significant instability events were captured giving timely warnings before collapse. The polarisation based single mode fibre sensor and monitoring method is proposed for implementation in a phase sensitive distributed acoustic sensor setup. Peak frequencies in the micro-seismic noise band of 0.1 Hz to 1.0Hz were observed through cavity development and growth. Extended peak frequency shifts and bandwidth in the band >1Hz were recorded, indicating weakness and imminence of collapse. Early warning detection by the structural field model was achieved prior to the sudden subsurface failure which results in collapse sinkholes. By monitoring variations in the vibrating frequency modes when a subsurface cavity develops within the structure, trigger events and collapse precursor conditions are identified. We have successfully demonstrated an early response warning annunciator by using an algorithm to analyse combinational characteristics of the spectral components of the detected signals. The fibre sensor reduces the risk and socio-economic impact of infrastructural damage due to sudden collapse of sinkholes and has extended potential of monitoring earthquakes and landslides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advent of constellations of SAR satellites, and the possibility of swarms of SAR UAV's, there is increased interest in multistatic SAR image formation. This may provide advantages including allowing three‐dimensional image formation free of clutter overlay; the coherent combination of bistatic SAR geometries for improved image resolution; and the collection of additional scattering information, including polarimetric. The polarimetric collection may provide useful target information, such as its orientation, polarisability, or number of interactions with the radar signal; distributed receivers would be more likely to capture any bright specular responses from targets in the scene, making target outlines distinct. Highlight results from multistatic polarimetric SAR experiments at the Cranfield University GBSAR laboratory are presented, illustrating the utility of the approach for fully sampled 3D SAR image formation, and for sparse aperture SAR 3D point‐cloud generation with a newly developed volumetric multistatic interferometry algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between political discussions and ideological composition in the classroom. Design: The effects of class patriotism and within-class differences in it are analysed using the Russian data from the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study. Findings: Students in more patriotic and like-minded classes perceive the classroom climate as more open, but it does not change its effect on knowledge. There is a negative relationship between ideological diversity and civic knowledge. These effects in Russia are neither unique nor the strongest among the ICCS participants. The reality of an open classroom might be far from the idealised notion of balanced deliberation, and its diversity remains a challenge rather than an opportunity. Research limitations and implications: The study makes no claims about the directionality of the relationships due to their correlational nature. More research is needed on the quality of reasoning in social studies classrooms in times of polarisation and political turmoil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Íkala: Revista de Lenguaje y Cultura is the property of Universidad de Antioquia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Fragile states are conditioned by the politics of interests, which oscillates between social, ethnic, factional, political and economic agitations. The politics of interest impairs shared identity and creates a tense coexistence between already fragmented communities. Ethiopia presents an example of the erosion of democratic norms despite the constitutionally imposed politics of ethnically and regionally based societies. Fragile states defy theoretical wisdom, as the media and elections might, in certain circumstances, produce negative results by creating a fractured society rather than resolving the legitimacy crisis. This article analysed academic literature and reflected on theories of the media in democracy to deconstruct the role of the legacy and new media in radical polarisation and nation-building in Ethiopia. Furthermore, illustrations were drawn from incidents and developments to clarify conditions that can help the mass media refrain from actions that deliberately or inadvertently impede socio-economic growth and worsen political conditions in fragile democracies. This article asserts that without context adaptation, the liberal norms of media autonomy and political inclusion might be incompatible with other forms of democracy beyond affluent democracies. It concludes by proposing theoretical visions of a 'democratic mirror', 'vigilantism and fraternisation' and the 'therapeutic' function of the media in fragile democracies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin is a fundamental degree of freedom, which was discovered by Dirac for an electron in his relativistic quantum mechanics, known as the Dirac equation. The origin of spin for a photon is unclear because Maxwell's equations in a vacuum are Lorentz invariant without introducing the concept of spin. Here, the propagation of coherent rays of photons in a graded-index optical fibre is considered to discuss the origin of polarisation for photons using exact solutions of the Laguerre-Gauss and Hermite-Gauss modes. The energy spectrum is massive, and the effective mass is a function of the confinement and orbital angular momentum. The propagation is described by the one-dimensional (1D) non-relativistic Schrödinger equation, which is equivalent to the 2D space-time Klein-Gordon equation by a unitary transformation. The probabilistic interpretation and the conservation law require the factorisation of the Klein-Gordon equation, leading to the 2D Dirac equation with spin. The spin expectation values of photons correspond to the polarisation state on the Poincaré sphere. As an application of the theory, a polarisation interferometer is proposed, whose energy spectrum shows a Dirac cone in the Stokes parameter space.

Polarisation is described by an SU(2) state due to the coherence of photons emitted from a ubiquitous laser source. We propose a polarisation modulator, called as a Poincaré rotator, which enables dynamic control over a polarisation state by executing an arbitrary rotation on the Poincaré sphere. The Poincaré rotator works as an arbitrary operator in the SU(2) Lie group, combining two U(1) operations to change the phase and the amplitude of the state, respectively. By modulating both the phase and amplitude, we have achieved distinguishable 4×4=16, 8×8=64, and 10×10=100 states on the Poincaré sphere. As a locus of the polarisation states on the sphere, we have successfully drawn the molecular structure of Buckminsterfullerene (C60) and the coastline of the Earth.

Abstract AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a ubiquitous sensor of energy and nutritional status in eukaryotic cells. It plays a key role in regulating cellular energy homeostasis and multiple aspects of cell metabolism. During macrophage polarisation, AMPK not only guides the metabolic programming of macrophages, but also counter-regulates the inflammatory function of macrophages and promotes their polarisation toward the anti-inflammatory phenotype. AMPK is located at the intersection of macrophage metabolism and inflammation. The metabolic characteristics of macrophages are closely related to immune-related diseases, infectious diseases, cancer progression and immunotherapy. This review discusses the structure of AMPK and its role in the metabolism, function and polarisation of macrophages. In addition, it summarises the important role of the AMPK pathway and AMPK activators in the development of macrophage-related diseases.

The article analyses the challenges associated with the development of rural areas in the Kaliningrad region. The author analyses trends in the development of agriculture, population dynamics, and settlement patterns, while also exploring their interconnectedness and external impacts. The research draws upon comparative-geographical, economic-statistical, and cartographic analyses utilizing official statistical data. The study reveals that since the early 2000s, agricultural production in the Kaliningrad region has been outpacing the national average growth rate. This is primarily attributed to the advancement of larger organisations, while the growth rates of household and small-scale farms remain comparatively low. This development trend is underpinned by a surge in labour productivity accompanied by a substantial reduction in the workforce. Consequently, rural residents are increasingly seeking alternative employment opportunities, either moving to urban areas or engaging in a different type of economic activities. Contrary to the situation in most regions of the Russian Federation, the rural population of the Kaliningrad region is growing. This growth is facilitated by an influx of individuals from other parts of Russia and other countries. Following the polarisation theory, population growth is driven by municipalities in the western part of the oblast, while eastern rural territories are losing population due to both natural decline (common to the oblast as a whole) and migration. Eastern municipalities have the demographic potential to increase the working-age population, while the western part of the oblast does not. The region has been implementing a policy of support for rural territories, especially for the peripheral eastern municipalities. However, there is a need for the policy to be further reinforced, alongside the development of a comprehensive spatial development strategy for the region. The article outlines proposals in this regard.

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a ubiquitous sensor of energy and nutritional status in eukaryotic cells. It plays a key role in regulating cellular energy homeostasis and multiple aspects of cell metabolism. During macrophage polarisation, AMPK not only guides the metabolic programming of macrophages, but also counter-regulates the inflammatory function of macrophages and promotes their polarisation toward the anti-inflammatory phenotype. AMPK is located at the intersection of macrophage metabolism and inflammation. The metabolic characteristics of macrophages are closely related to immune-related diseases, infectious diseases, cancer progression and immunotherapy. This review discusses the structure of AMPK and its role in the metabolism, function and polarisation of macrophages. In addition, it summarises the important role of the AMPK pathway and AMPK activators in the development of macrophage-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the main findings of the research activities undertaken in the Netherlands, within the framework of the H2020 project "PARTICIPATION". The goal of this research is twofold: first, to gain insight into the main contentious topics that teachers face in Dutch secondary and vocational schools; second, to provide an analysis of teachers' challenges, practices, and needs in handling these contentious issues. Two online workshops were held during this participatory research: a "Set-the-Scene" in which teachers provided input on the design of the survey administered to teachers, and a "Follow-up" during which the results of this survey were discussed and understanding of these results was deepened. This article presents a synthesis of the contextual data collected through desk research, after which the main findings derived through the online survey (N=21) are presented. The article concludes with a set of recommendations based on the experiences and perspectives of teachers regarding obstacles, good and bad practices and their perceived needs in improving their ability to address challenges and contentious topics in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A methodology for classifying rainfed paddy fields based on their hydrological conditions is lacking. This study analysed the behaviour of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) backscatter coefficients at each polarisation and cross-polarisation ratio index in a rainfed rice paddy field with a partially waterlogged surface. The SAR polarisations used were the VH and VV of the C-band SAR Sentinel-1 and the HV and HH of the L-band SAR Palsar-2. The relationship between backscatter coefficient and terrains including topographic categories and local relative elevation, which affect waterlogging conditions in rainfed paddy fields, were evaluated. The VV of C-band, and HH and HV of L-band showed different patterns in the time series variation according to the topographic categories. We observed that the combination of L-band HH and HV could be used to assess waterlogging conditions because they differ depending on variations in local elevation. The study results suggest that future studies can evaluate the microtopography and associated local hydrological environment using the combination of L-band HH and HV backscatter coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reflects on the problem of false belief produced by the integrated psychological and algorithmic landscape humans now inhabit. Following the work of scholars such as Lee McIntyre (Post-Truth, MIT Press, 2018) or Cailin O'Connor and James Weatherall (The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread, Yale University Press, 2019) it combines recent discussions of fake news, post-truth, and science denialism across the disciplines of political science, computer science, sociology, psychology, and the history and philosophy of science that variously address the ineffectiveness, in a digital era, of countering individual falsehoods with facts. Truth and falsehood, it argues, rather than being seen as properties or conditions attached to individual instances of content, should now be seen as collective, performative, and above all persuasive phenomena. They should be practically evaluated as networked systems and mechanisms of sharing in which individually targeted actions are combining with structural tendencies (both human and mechanical) in unprecedented ways. For example, the persuasive agency of apparent consensus (clicks, likes, bots, trolls) is newly important in a fractured environment that only appears to be, but is no longer 'public'; the control of narratives, labels, and associations is a live, time-sensitive issue, a continuous contest, or ongoing cusp. Taking a social approach to truth yields observations of new relevance; from how current strategies of negative cohesion, blame, and enemy-creation depend crucially on binary ways of constructing the world, to how the offer of identity/community powerfully cooperates with the structural tendencies of algorithm-driven advertiser platforms towards polarisation. Remedies for these machine-learned and psychological tendencies lie in end-user education. So the Arts and Humanities, whether via comparisons with previous historical periods, or via principles of critical thinking and active reading, offer crucial resources to help counter what since 1997 silicon valley executives and scholars have called 'persuasive technology' (Fogg in Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What we Think and Do, Morgan Kaufmann, 2003; Hamari et al. (eds) in Persuasive Technology, Springer International Publishing, 2014; Harris in How a Handful of Tech Companies Control Billions of Minds Every Day, 2017; Lanier in Who Owns the Future? Simon & Schuster, 2014 and Ten Arguments for Deleting your Social Media Accounts Right Now, Picador, 2019). The article proposes a paradigm shift in public understandings of this new social environment: from a culture of discovery, where what matters is what exists or is in fact the case, to a culture of iteration, where what matters is what gets repeated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Res Rhetorica is the property of Polish Rhetoric Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between political discussions and ideological composition in the classroom. Design: The effects of class patriotism and within–class differences in it are analysed using the Russian data from the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study. Findings: Students in more patriotic and like–minded classes perceive the classroom climate as more open, but it does not change its effect on knowledge. There is a negative relationship between ideological diversity and civic knowledge. These effects in Russia are neither unique nor the strongest among the ICCS participants. The reality of an open classroom might be far from the idealised notion of balanced deliberation, and its diversity remains a challenge rather than an opportunity. Research limitations and implications: The study makes no claims about the directionality of the relationships due to their correlational nature. More research is needed on the quality of reasoning in social studies classrooms in times of polarisation and political turmoil.

In this letter we present results for next-to-leading-order electroweak corrections to doubly polarised W+W− production at the LHC in the fully leptonic decay channel. We model the production and the decay of two polarised W bosons in the double-pole approximation, including factorisable real and virtual electroweak corrections, and separating polarisation states at amplitude level. We obtain integrated and differential predictions for polarised signals in a realistic fiducial setup.

Political talk shows have been one of the most relevant tools in political communication since they burst onto American television at the end of the 20th century (Baum & Jamison, 2006). The rise of «infotainment» (Thussu, 2007) in those years caused an alliance between political information and entertainment that had traditionally been addressed separately (Delli Carpini & Williams, 2001). The need for parties and leaders to bring their message closer to broad sectors of the population and the willingness of television networks to look for cheap formats that would report good audience results, has meant that, since then, these spaces have been fully consolidated in the most networks around the world, contributing to shaping what has been conceptualized as «pop politics» (Mazzoleni & Sfardini, 2009) and even as «politainment» (Berrocal, 2017). The most relevant conclusion of the analysis is that La Sexta Noche and, in general, the political talk shows broadcast on Spanish television, as a consequence of their formal commitment, become decisive actors in the promotion of social and political polarisation, as well as an emotional and aggressive discussion on public affairs and on the democratic system that we should not underestimate.

How did technological upgrading in the Baltics during the transition from planned to market economy affect labour? Existing academic literature would imply a skill-biased or polarising effect. However, we find that the opposite is likely true—technological upgrading predominantly benefited lower skilled workers. This is explained by an abundance of lower skilled labour, which fostered the usage of less advanced technologies that such workers could utilise. This article contributes to the discussion on the relationship between technology and labour by highlighting that technological upgrading may lead to low-skill-biased change.

Abstract Conservation conflicts are complex and can be deep‐rooted, with stakeholders holding entrenched policy positions. The actors involved producing verbal interconnected interactions that form policy debates. Thus, conservation debates can be viewed as network phenomena with stakeholders forming coalitions in support of, or opposition to, certain policies and practices. We used Discourse Network Analysis of print media to investigate the structure and dynamics of the stakeholder debate around the management of hen harriers Circus cyaneus, a bird of prey at the centre of a long‐standing conservation conflict in the United Kingdom. We aimed to determine whether the structure of discourse coalitions changed among the diverse aspects of the debate and whether the polarisation of the debate has changed through time. Our search and selection criteria led to the analysis of 737 statements within 131 newspaper articles published from August 1993 to December 2019. We show that, while the discourse network of the overall debate is quite unstructured, actors formed divergent coalitions when defining the conservation problem and its solutions. In contrast, discourses converged around reactions with positive or negative emotions in relation to events and issues of hen harrier conservation. Polarisation among actors has increased over time and peaked in the second half of the 2010s, concurrent with the release of the species recovery plan. Our study highlights the value of analysing discourse networks in conservation policy debates. Discourse networks reveal which aspects of any conservation problem cause stakeholders to converge or diverge and can identify periods of intensified debate that, ultimately, contribute to informing conflict mitigation and resolution processes. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

ABSTRACTA methodology for classifying rainfed paddy fields based on their hydrological conditions is lacking. This study analysed the behaviour of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) backscatter coefficients at each polarisation and cross-polarisation ratio index in a rainfed rice paddy field with a partially waterlogged surface. The SAR polarisations used were the VH and VV of the C-band SAR Sentinel-1 and the HV and HH of the L-band SAR Palsar-2. The relationship between backscatter coefficient and terrains including topographic categories and local relative elevation, which affect waterlogging conditions in rainfed paddy fields, were evaluated. The VV of C-band, and HH and HV of L-band showed different patterns in the time series variation according to the topographic categories. We observed that the combination of L-band HH and HV could be used to assess waterlogging conditions because they differ depending on variations in local elevation. The study results suggest that future studies can evaluate the microtopography and associated local hydrological environment using the combination of L-band HH and HV backscatter coefficient.

BaTiO 3 plays an important role in advanced functional devices owing to its fascinating properties. Though it is an excellent ferroelectric material, its magnetism can be switchable via suitable modification. In this report, we have studied iron-modified BaTiO 3 , which has been prepared using cost-effective high-temperature solid-state reaction techniques. The Fe-modified BaTiO 3 maintains its crystallinity in the tetragonal phase with P4mm space group with a slight variation of tetragonality ratio to 1.002 from 1.008 of BaTiO 3 of the identical synthesis method. This is confirmed by Rietveld refinement. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and EDX (energy dispersive X-rays) spectrum along with an elemental mapping analysis has provided the feature of the Fe-modifed BaTiO 3. Atomic force microscope (AFM) has been employed to get the detailed surface topology (2D and 3D) and surface roughness of the developed systems. This deformation caused by the incorporation of Fe significantly modifies the electrical properties of barium titanate. The ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition temperature (T c) of Fe-modified BaTiO 3 has been diffused and shifted to 300 °C from 120 °C of pure BaTiO 3 , suggesting the materials for the high-temperature capacitive application. The room temperature M-H hysteresis of Fe-modified BaTiO 3 indicates the ferromagnetism developed in the BaTiO 3 with the introduction of Fe. The ac conductivity is in the order of 10−4 Ω−1cm−1, and its frequency response obeys Jonscher's power law. Different charge carriers are responsible for diverse conduction processes in different temperature ranges confirmed by the Arrhenius plot. Impedance spectroscopy studies reveal the existence of NTCR characteristics of the developed system. Well defined ferroelectric hysteresis loop indicates the existence of ferroelectricity in the developed system. The analysis of various electrical parameters has provided information on the material's dielectric relaxation and conduction mechanisms for possible application in functional devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin-dependent resonance polarisation in CdTe / CdMnTe double-barrier heterostructure was theoretically examined. The effects of Zeeman effect (ZE), giant Zeeman effect (GZE) and Dresselhaus spin–orbit interaction (DSOI) were analysed in the presence of electric and magnetic fields. The heterostructure transition from type-I to type-II enhances the spin-down heavy hole current density. The results indicate that this heterostructure works as a perfect spin-down heavy hole filter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Important subjects such as Flat Earth, global warming, Covid 19, Ukrainian war have given out the existence of two major factions on antagonistic stances, the pros and the cons, that aggressively deny their adversaries' opinions on any of the aforementioned topics. One side's arguments formed by heavy reliance on previous beliefs that stand in high credibility (Nilsson, 2014, p. 16) to that group are denied by the other side's that builds, at their turn, their current beliefs on others their group is usually fond of. This article aims at inventorying the discursive practices which each side makes use of firstly in building their own arguments for their believers and secondly in dismantling the discourse of the opponents. In building their own arguments, the focus of the analysis will be laid on the persuasive strategies used to convince those that already have a serious grounding in either of the sides. In dismantling the others', special attention will be paid to address formulas and any other derogatory means used for the credibilisation of one's stand and the discreditation of the others'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corrosion behaviour of the closed-cell aluminium foam made of Al 6101 alloy in different heat regimes such as heat treatment (HT), cryogenic treatment (CT) and cryogenic heat treatment (CHT) are investigated in this research work. The Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and DC polarisation are the techniques employed in this research work. The microstructure, surface morphology and composition of the treated foam samples are evaluated using a high-resolution Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Analysis of X-rays (EDAX). The polarisation and electrochemical impedance measurements of the CT and HT foam samples reveal appealing results in the corrosion resistance when comparing with untreated foam sample. From the SEM images, it is evident that the deep cryogenic treatment changes the morphology of Al 6101 foam and the formation of the Guinier-Preston (GP) zone increases the density of dislocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Reti Medievali is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract In this article, a three‐dimensional polarisation‐rotation surface (PRS) with reflective filtering response based on two orthogonally inserted coupled slot‐line is investigated, which can reflect a vertically/horizontally polarised incident wave by 90°. Each unit cell of the PRS is composed of a pair of meandered slot‐line sections with open‐short‐ends etched on the vertically and horizontally inserted single‐layer printed circuit boards. Under the incidence of a linearly polarised plane wave along the vertical/horizontal direction, the plane wave is converted into the guided wave by the open‐circuited end of the slot‐line section, and then the guided wave is obstructed by the short end of the slot‐line section and coupled to the other slot‐line section, thus leading to 90° polarisation rotation. To simplify the design procedure, a matrix coupling theory is applied to synthesise and design the proposed PRS. A sample with fractional bandwidth of 20% at the centre frequency of 5 GHz and return loss of 20 dB is designed, fabricated, and measured for verification. The measured and simulated results are in good agreement with the theoretical ones. The results confirm that the proposed PRS has low insertion loss, high polarisation conversion ratio, and stable filtering performance for oblique incident angle up to 60°.

Polarisation states are described by spin expectation values, known as Stokes parameters, the trajectories of which in a rotationally symmetric system form a sphere named after Poincaré. Here, we show that the trajectories of broken rotational symmetric systems can exhibit distinct topological structures in polarisation states. We use a phase-shifter to form a polarisation circle (S1), which interferes with the original input due to the phase change of the output state upon rotation. By rotating the circle using a rotator, the trajectories become a polarisation torus (S1×S1), which was experimentally confirmed in a simple setup using passive optical components together with the Mach–Zehnder interferometer. We also discuss the realisations of other topological features, such as a Möbius strip, a trefoil knot, Hopf links, and topological Dirac bosons, with a bulk-edge correspondence.