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We explore whether training protocols can enhance the ability of social media users to detect fake news, by conducting an online experiment (N=417) to analyse the effect of such a training protocol, while considering the role of scepticism, age, and level of education. Our findings show a significant relationship between the training protocol and the ability of social media users to detect fake news, suggesting that the protocol can play a positive role in training social media users to recognize fake news. Moreover, we find a direct positive relationship between age and level of education on the one hand and ability to detect fake news on the other, which has implications for future research. We demonstrate the potential of training protocols in countering the effects of fake news, as a scalable solution that empowers users and addresses concerns about the time-consuming nature of fact-checking.

Mapping microstructural to macroscopic magnetic properties is challenging yet necessary for the development of novel non-destructive testing techniques based on magnetic measurements. The macroscopic properties of a material reflect the underlying magnetization processes and the microstructural configuration as a result of the history of the material. Magnetic nondestructive evaluation techniques are needed for the health monitoring in critical structures and the quality monitoring of materials used in components, such as transformers and motors. In this work, we assess the usability of metrics related to AC magnetometry and magnetic Barkhausen Noise through measurements on several series of samples of various grain sizes and levels of plastic deformation. AC magnetometry is preferred to magnetic Barkhausen Noise as it provides more repeatable and reliable metrics than mBN which suffers from higher uncertainty. Also, differential permeability curves are preferred to hysteresis loops because they can be obtained directly through ac magnetometry and provide several types of information, such as the peak value, the coercivity, the overall shape, the emergence and location of multiple peaks which are related to stresses. In the case of stress-dependent magnetization processes, both differential permeability and mBN results are consistent, regardless of the way strain is applied, and corroborate results previously reported. However, permeability measurements are inconclusive on the effect of grain size on magnetization processes while the mBN voltage increases monotonically with decreasing grain size, in both types of samples. The mBN energy associated with each applied field step is proposed as a complementary measure for the assessment of the contribution of the irreversible processes in a material where the permeability measurements are inconclusive. Finally, the experimental observations have been used to set up micromagnetic calculations by modeling a plastically deformed material as a soft matrix with grains enclosed by boundaries with high transverse anisotropy which act as pinning centres and prevent further rotation of the magnetization and its alignment with the applied field thus reproducing the typical phenomenological features of plastically strained materials. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.

Different means of residual stress distribution monitoring in magnetic rods are illustrated in this paper, through measurements of permeability, magnetoelastic uniformity using two different setups, sound velocity, and eddy currents. The effectiveness of these techniques was assessed through the stress monitoring of the same magnetic rod, suffering residual stresses in two known volumes caused by controlled hammering. Furthermore, rehabilitation has been achieved by means of stress annihilation, achieved by localized induction heating. As a result, the magnetoelastic and sound velocity uniformity measurements are more appropriate for the monitoring of localized residual stresses, while eddy current measurements are useful for the monitoring of the geometrical deformation. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Background: This study’s purpose was to examine the outcomes of the laparoscopic repair of large inguinoscrotal hernias with the combined use of a plug and flat mesh and to compare them to laparoscopic repair with the exclusive use of a flat mesh. Case series: Fifty male patients with large inguinoscrotal hernias underwent this procedure over two years. Twenty-five patients had a transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) hernia repair with the combined use of a plug and flat mesh, and 25 patients had TAPP repair using a flat mesh only. The novelty of this technique lies in the fact that after complete dissection of the hernia sack, a plug mesh is placed reversely, and its top edge is anchored onto the lower edge of the inguinal ligament with a standard fixation device. Next, a flat mesh is fixated, and the two meshes are sutured together with polypropylene sutures to form one combined mesh. One hernia recurrence was recorded during the follow-up period after the combined use of the plug and flat mesh. One patient developed a scrotal hematoma which was treated conservatively. Conclusions: The laparoscopic repair of large inguinoscrotal hernias with the combined use of a plug and flat mesh is a safe and effective technique with excellent short-term outcomes. It is a simple modification of the standard TAPP procedure. The recurrence rate of large inguinoscrotal hernias is also believed to be reduced. HIPPOKRATIA 2021, 25 (1):38-41.

In this paper, a new type of force sensor is presented, able to monitor localized residual stresses on steel surfaces. The principle of operation of the proposed sensor is based on the monitoring of the force exerted between a permanent magnet and the under-test steel which is dependent on the surface permeability of the steel providing a non-hysteretic response. The sensor’s response, calibration, and performance are described followed by a discussion concerning the applications for steel health monitoring. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

We argue that the current approaches to online social networking give rise to numerous challenges regarding the management of the multiple facets of people’s digital identities within and around social networking sites (SNS). We propose an architecture for enabling people to better manage their SNS identities that is informed by the way the core Internet protocols developed to support interoperation of proprietary network protocols, and based on the idea of Separation of Concerns [1]. This does not require modification of existing services but is predicated on providing a connecting layer over them, both as a mechanism to address problems of privacy and identity, and to create opportunities to open up online social networking to a much richer set of possible interactions and applications.

International audience

We focus on the challenges and issues associated with Big Data, and propose a novel architecture that uses the principles of Separation of Concerns and distributed computing to overcome many of the challenges associated with storage, analysis and integrity. We address the issue of asymmetrical distribution of power between the originators of data and the organizations and institutions that make use of that data by taking a systemic perspective to include both sides in our architectural design, shifting from a customer-provider relationship to a more symbiotic one in which control over access to customer data resides with the customer. We illustrate the affordances of the proposed architecture by describing its application in the domain of Social Networking Sites, where we furnish a mechanism to address problems of privacy and identity, and create the potential to open up online social networking to a richer set of possible applications.