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Indonesia, as a country with rich diversity, faces a significant challenge in the form of polarisation, which occurs not only in the political sphere but also in religion and belief. In the context of Christian theological education in Indonesia, polarisation also occurs between conservative and liberal views. Conservatives adhere to literal interpretations and established doctrines, while liberals are more flexible and open to contextual interpretations. To address this polarisation, an approach that transcends both extremes is needed. This article proposes post-conservative thought as a conceptual solution for theological education in Indonesia. Postconservatism positions itself in the middle between conservative and liberal, recognising the importance of fundamental principles of faith while also being open to change and dialogue. This article employs a literature review method to analyse and develop a theoretical framework supporting the application of post-conservatism in Christian theological education in Indonesia. The analysis shows that postconservative theological education needs to be transformative, constructive-creative and liberating to break down polarisation and create inclusive, relevant and impactful education for society. Contribution: This study helps in integrating postconservative theology within theological education, fostering a more nuanced and transformative approach to interpreting Scriptures and addressing ethical and social issues. Interdisciplinary implications involve collaboration with social sciences, education, peace studies and health sciences to develop comprehensive strategies for community engagement, conflict resolution and holistic well-being.

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.

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]

The European Parliament (EP) has repeatedly been criticised for its slow, insufficient response to democratic backsliding in several member states. At the same time, it is the arena where we find some of the most vigorous defences of the EU’s fundamental values and appeals to safeguard the rule of law across the Union. Leveraging an original dataset of MEP statements from plenary debates over the last two EP terms (2009–2019), this article examines the dynamics of norm contestation in the EP’s responses to democratic backsliding. We observe a discursive polarisation primarily along ideological lines, with a notable slippage among European People’s Party legislators who shift from scepticism towards EU intervention in rule of law matters to overt support. We show how Eurosceptic MEPs and those from backsliding countries seek to appeal to domestic voters by invoking negative partisanship and anti-Western resentment to discredit EU criticism. In contrast, pro-intervention MEPs situate their discourse at the supranational level and focus on defending European unity and the rule of law as shared identity. Overall, the growing contestation over the nature of fundamental values by Eurosceptics has crystallized a more vocal and differentiated engagement of Europhile MEPs in democratic backsliding debates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluate communication policies related to COVID-19 adopted by governors in the United States and explore how communication and policy directives are impacted by hyper-polarised situations, namely the presence of a divided government. This work sheds light on the challenges of crisis communication and executive leadership. Using a combination of robust regression and text and sentiment analyses, we compare the timing of and the language used by governors who imposed state-wide facemask mandates in 2020. We find that racially diverse states with Democratic governors acted more quickly than states with comparably older populations, had more people living in one household, and without health insurance. Further, we find that Democratic governors were slower to act when their decision could be checked by a Republican legislature highlighting the restrictive nature that executives face in crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws on the post-terror setting of Norway to investigate interactions between consensus, contestation, and conflict in public debates about diversity. A consensus-oriented unity prevailed in immediate responses to the 2011 terror attacks that killed 77 people in Norway. Analysis of 40 semi-structured interviews identifies lingering perceptions that the following conditions limited the space for contestation after the attacks: the intensity of the initial unity expressions; the perpetrator's identity as a Norwegian, self-proclaimed Christian crusader; and broader patterns of limited space for nuanced contestation in diversity debates. Drawing on influential political theories on liberal democratic debate, this is an empirical inquiry into when and how contestation about migration-related diversity is impeded, and with what implications. The Norwegian case illustrates that too much consensus-orientation and inadequate space for nuance can further underline conflict and thereby impede citizens' engagement with debates about migration-related diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social networks such as Twitter can promote social alarm about conflicts concerning anti-hate speech legislation. The protests after the prison sentences of the rappers Valtònyc (2018) and Hasél (2021) are two paradigmatic cases in Spain. This research analyses how citizens' desire to combat hate speech may be frustrated when the law is applied. Using a quantitative and qualitative methodology, we observe the users and the media reactions on Twitter in both cases. In the first phase, we conducted a content analysis (n = 694) to identify the position of users and the media. In a second phase, discourse analysis examined the presence or absence of the features of constructive journalism in the news coverage. The results show that the anti-law stance is predominant in Twitter messages, but there are few references to freedom of expression and censorship. While there is a considerable presence of an angry style of communication and polarised messages in users' tweets, the media adopt a rational and informative approach. The media discourse in both cases is still far from the traits of constructive journalism. Therefore, this research shows that informative actions based on the principles of constructive journalism could mediate between citizen sensibility and legislation. This could promote a sense of citizenship that avoids hate speech. [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]

Mesoporous materials have received growing interest, particularly as electrode materials for lithium-ion battery applications since they provide short transportation length for Li ion and electrons, and favour electrolyte wettability. Such unique features are highly beneficial for improving the electrochemical performance of olivine LiFePO4 as this material has intrinsically low electronic and ionic conductivities, which otherwise would affect the storage performance. In addition, this sluggish kinetic brings about huge polarisation specifically at high current rates, resulting in poor energy efficiency. In order to overcome such kinetic issues, we present here a facile soft template-solvothemal method to synthesise mesoporous LiFePO4. Such mesoporous LiFePO4 is made of well interconnected nanograins (20–30 nm) which exhibits excellent storage performance and long-term cycling stability. In particular, the material shows improved storage performance at high rates with significantly less polarisation and clear signature of voltage plateaus for both Li ion insertion-extraction processes. In comparison with the LiFePO4 synthesized by the soft template method, the mesoporous LiFePO4 demonstrates excellent storage performance. This is attributed to the 2-D diffusion of both Li ions and electrons along b - and c -axes consistent with the 2-D Li ions transport reported previously for LiFePO4 single crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This short article reflects on ‘public switching’ as a methodology for research on public perspectives on potential responses to the climate crisis. There have been recent calls for early public engagement with potentially controversial science and technology. Such ‘upstream’ engagement is often conducted by those close to the science, presenting challenges associated with informing without advocating and deferral to scientists on non-scientific matters. The method we propose – public switching – involves engaging a public (here, young people) with emerging technologies through social science priming, independent research and the creation of questions which are presented to scientists and policymakers working in the field. We argue that this approach provides a mechanism for the public to connect with science and policy and to be heard, with question creation depolarising and deepening discussion. We reflect on methods of public switching, question creation and analysis, and discuss the limits and limitations of this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) in the mixtures of FLC and quantum dots have been studied. The theory is modelled with well-known Flory–Huggins theory and Landau theory. The effect quantum dots concentrations and temperature on the pitch length, spontaneous polarisation and tilt angle in the chiral smectic-C* phase of the smectic-A to chiral smectic-C* transition has been discussed. Theoretical analysis shows the increase of the pitch length, spontaneous polarisation and tilt angle with the increase of concentrations of quantum dots in the quantum dots-doped FLC system.A qualitativee comparison between theoretical and experimental results has been discussed. [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]

Computational models have shown how polarisation can rise among deliberating agents as they approximate epistemic rationality. This paper provides further support for the thesis that polarisation can rise under condition of epistemic rationality, but it does not depend on limitations that extant models rely on, such as memory restrictions or biased evaluation of other agents' testimony. Instead, deliberation is modelled through agents' purposeful introduction of arguments and their rational reactions to introductions of others. This process induces polarisation dynamics on its own. A second result is that the effect size of polarisation dynamics correlates with particular types of argumentative behaviour. Polarisation effects can be soothed when agents take into account the opinions of others as premises, and they are amplified as agents fortify their own beliefs. These results underpin the relevance of argumentation as a factor in social-epistemic processes and indicate that rising issue polarisation is not a reliable indicator of epistemic shortcomings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Haemophiliac arthritis (HA) is caused by spontaneous intra‐articular hemorrhage and repeated intra‐articular hematomas, leading to iron overload, which, in turn, induces M1 macrophage polarisation and inflammatory cytokine secretion, resulting in synovitis. Here, we explored the mechanism by which iron overload in HA induces the polarisation of M1 macrophages, providing a new approach for the treatment of HA synovitis. Methods: The synovium from the knee joints of normal amputees and patients with HA was collected. Pathological changes in the synovial tissues were analysed using hematoxylin and eosin staining. Iron tissue deposition was evaluated using the iron assay kit and Prussia Blue staining, while macrophage phenotype was determined using immunofluorescence. The levels of pro‐inflammatory cytokines and p53 acetylation were determine using western blotting. An in vitro iron overload model was established by inducing THP‐1 macrophages with ferric ammonium citrate, and the involvement of acetylated p53 in M1 macrophage polarisation was investigated. Results: Compared to control samples, the iron content in the synovium of patients with HA was significantly increased. The protein levels of M1 macrophage markers, pro‐inflammatory cytokines, and acetylated p53, were also significantly elevated in the synovial tissues of patients with HA. Similar results were observed in the in vitro iron overload model. Furthermore, the inhibition of p53 acetylation in vitro reversed these iron overload‐induced effects. Conclusion: In patients with HA, iron overload induced synovial p53 acetylation, leading to macrophage polarisation toward the M1 phenotype and increased inflammatory cytokine secretion, resulting in synovitis. Highlights: Synovial iron overload is associated with changes in P53 acetylation in hemophiliac arthritis (HA). Acetylated p53, a known regulator of macrophage polarization, is highly expressed in HA synovium, suggesting a potential role in M1 polarization.HA synovial macrophages predominantly polarize into the pro‐inflammatory M1 phenotype, secreting elevated levels of pro‐inflammatory cytokines. [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]

This article identifies two distinct varieties of economic nationalism in the United States that have strong and lasting implications for transatlantic trade relations and traces their origins to how the two major parties use narratives to form competitive coalitions including trade critics since 2020. The Republican Party links trade critics with culture war supporters, allowing them to enhance their collective impact on domestic and foreign policy, including confrontation with Europe on trade. Democrats' pursuit of trade critics in 2020 and beyond means a focus on domestic development and industrial policy appealing to centrist and progressive voters, and eschewing trade agreements. This developmental economic nationalism offers room for allied interdependence across the Atlantic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An extension of the use of the linear response function to interpret non-covalent interactions is put forward. Due to its computational intricacies, most applications until now have been done on isolated atoms or molecules using coupled perturbed Hartree–Fock or Kohn–Sham theory, thereby adopting the simplest level for the LRF evaluation, the independent particle approximation. The previously presented possibilities for extension (the random phase and the "full" expression) are scrutinised, thereby highlighting the intricacies in the evaluation of the exchange-correlation term in the case of meta-GGAs and hybrid functionals, and implemented. A set of 25 hydrogen bonded and 11 halogen bonded systems, selected from Hobza S66 and X 40 compilations, were used to investigate the correlation between the stabilisation energy due to these non-covalent interactions and the relevant atom–atom-condensed LRF matrix element. The lack of a relevant correlation in the case of hydrogen bonding is contrasted with the excellent result for the halogen bonds. The correlation between the full option and the IPA is high providing support for our previous work using the IPA as is also the case for the previously used iterative Hirshfeld condensation and the more advanced FOHI method making use of fractional occupation numbers. The fundamental difference between hydrogen and halogen bond behaviour and the retrieval of the stability sequence within the halogen bonds series are traced back to the nature of the LRF as a response function for perturbations in the external potential putting polarisation effects and the polarisability of the atoms of the donor–acceptor couple at the forefront. The extension to the use of the softness kernel is advocated and already invoked to rectify the behaviour of two deviating complexes involving S as second row halogen bond acceptor atom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

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]

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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.

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.

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]

The rise of online misinformation through social networks coincides with their growing use to stay informed and a polarised context that affects journalism and institutions. Beyond fake news, misinformation appears as a response to reality. Even the most dramatic events are subject to an online jury based on interpretative polarisation. This research analyses the case of the murder of Samuel Luiz, after a group aggression in A Coruña, Spain, during the secrecy of investigations. With a mixed-method approach we analyse media coverage (N1 = 159), public conversation on Twitter (N2 = 757,389), information disorders and the role of fact-checkers. The lack of information and the publication of some details fuelled a public conversation with ideological and political traits. The media coverage generated frames in which users position themselves for ideological and political reasons. The polarised conversation on Twitter was dominated by non-journalistic actors, with an important influence of the political position. The information disorders show that the noise generated by public discussion completes the story with false, misleading and biased content. Fact-checkers intervened, but their diffusion is limited compared to the volume of the debate on social networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information disorder involves wide-ranging content that challenges democratic rules and social harmony. Pseudo-media that relies on conspiracy theories and misleading versions of the social reality contribute to feeding the disinformation ecosystem by reinforcing biased messages with expressive patterns and polarising practices. This article focuses on the content published (N = 1,396) by seven far-right wing Spanish pseudo-media. Based on qualitative and quantitative methods, it analyses headlines, types of text and sources, as well as the distortion strategies of journalistic conventions. Results show that the emotional component is expressed by means of polarised headlines that rely on clickbait to gain attention and build a particular jargon, exacerbated by disinformation and populist practices. The absolute dependence of conspicuous headlines is evidenced by the limited resources of pseudo-media, whose production lies in a mix of opinion text and the processing of online content. Plagiarism from mainstream—mainly conservative—media, social networks and website siblings fuel these outlets that play the role of the ambiguity, mimicking journalistic conventions and mocking them by means of disinformation practices, with a particular focus on reframing social issues, progressive policies and measures to manage the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study, mostly in a theoretical way and through a descriptive textual analysis, aims to give insights into the digital divide within the context of political and media psychology. The article creates new concepts and theories, and relates them to the conflicts on online platforms and tries to present the socio-cultural background that reinforces online polarisation based on new media and communication theories. The article discusses cultural psychology as the main motive for digital polarisation and touches upon online behaviour patterns that are considered as the driving force of rigid politicisation. Starting from this point of view, this conceptual study attempts to answer how the digital divide plays a role as a root cause or intervening factor in conflict and resolution issues and state-society relations. This work then aims to shed valuable light on the dynamics of peace and political psychology in reducing digital polarization and how terms related to socio-cultural psychology like contact theory may increase intimacy and reduce prejudices towards the other which are most likely caused by the echo chambers created on the online platforms. Therefore, this theoretical research, uncovering the potential of peace psychology and drawing upon the relevant existing literature, has important implications for reducing political polarization, the digital divide in other words, on online media platforms which will also help overcome conflicts and discriminations in daily political lives. [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]