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The spin-dependent hole transport in the CdTe / CdMnTe heterostructure with double barriers and double δ-potentials is studied. Since the considered heterostructure is symmetric and no external field is applied, only the Dresselhaus spin–orbit interaction is included in the study. The transfer matrix method is used to analyse the spin-dependent transmission of holes. The double δ-potential height and the distance between them influence the transmission coefficient, polarisation efficiency and tunnelling time of the light holes (LH) and heavy holes (HH). The contrast in the response of LH and HH in terms of energy at which resonance occurs and polarisation efficiency are reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article assesses the challenges that university-level teachers of modern British political history currently face in what is often described as a 'post-truth' and polarised political environment. It argues that, whilst these challenges do not always present entirely new pedagogical considerations, the sociocultural and political terrain in Britain today requires careful navigation, particularly in an academic field which addresses recent historical topics that are routinely politicised and contested in contemporary discourse. Although there is a lack of scholarly literature on the topic of teaching modern British political history in a higher education setting, this article draws upon a wide array of educational studies to map out the contours of a successful pedagogical strategy that could facilitate 'deep' learning in the current contextual environment. To this end, it suggests that by utilising modern British political history's interdisciplinary foundations, applying teaching techniques that help students to explore topics from multiple viewpoints, devising new and stimulating interactive tasks, and capitalising on the opportunities afforded by the Internet age, learning can be enhanced and many of the more academically problematic features and characteristics of the current political climate can be counteracted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some interest groups have policy positions on one or more policy dimensions in partisan policy space while others do not. In this paper we examine explanations for differences in interest group position-taking across policy dimensions. While group characteristics are likely to explain parts of such variation in interest group position-taking, we hypothesise that the salience and polarisation among parties and citizens of the respective policy dimension also matter. By utilising novel survey data on interest group positions (within a predefined policy space) in six different countries as well as survey data on citizen and party positions, we investigate interest group position-taking across policy dimensions. The analysis shows that interest groups with more resources, core interests linked to the examined policy dimensions and a connection to the traditional party system are more likely to have policy positions than other groups. Furthermore, we find evidence of groups supplementing citizens and parties in policy space by articulating positions on policy dimensions that the average citizen and party pays less attention to. Moreover, when party polarisation increases on a dimension, greater party salience is negatively associated with group position taking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses data gathered as part of an international comparative study of journalistic role performance during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We situate role performance at the intersection between anterior factors that shape journalistic decision-making and practice, and the contingent events and issues journalists are tasked with communicating. Based on this, we ground our analysis by considering (a) how news is shaped by media systems, and how Australia's media system may be characterised; (b) studies of journalists' work during previous health crises; and (c) analyses of media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our analysis focuses, firstly, on whether role performance in Australia's 2020 news coverage was discernibly "consensus-based"; and, secondly, on whether there were any indicators of Australian coverage being "polarised" during this period. Our findings suggest role performance in 2020 was broadly reflective of a relative political consensus and that evidence of polarisation was limited. We find, nevertheless, that there were notable differences between different mediums and outlets, and reflect on factors that may have contributed to such differences. In light of this, we emphasise the importance of taking account of the relationship between local contexts and historical contingency in considering how role performances are produced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political polarisation, e.g. following the refugee movements of 2015 or the Covid pandemic, is often explained by emotions. The latter are widely exploited as a political strategy, while points of view are often discredited as based on mere emotion rather than "rational" thought. This development challenges the idea of participants being moved by the "unforced force of the better argument" (Habermas 2001) or the idea that consent was the goal of debating. Not only has this resulted in an environment of "post-truth" (Hyvönen 2018), but the motivation of participants to take issue with political questions can be described more interestingly than as a search for truth or a better reasoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common explanation linked to increased polarisation has focused on changes in citizens' information diets, with like-minded people apparently becoming increasingly isolated in online echo chambers. This article investigates whether news audience polarisation has increased in Iceland in recent years and if there is polarisation in Icelandic society concerning beliefs in misinformation and conspiracy theories. Iceland is an interesting case study since it is very small and still quite homogenous, but experiencing rapid societal changes and a media landscape in turmoil. We utilise data from representative surveys conducted in 2017 and 2022. Findings show that news consumption patterns in Iceland have shifted towards online platforms, with a significant increase in online news consumption across all age groups, and a decline in the use of traditional legacy outlets. News audience polarisation appears, however, to remain relatively low in Iceland, with most news brands reaching a mixed and centrist audience. We find that gender, education, and political ideology are related to beliefs concerning misinformation and conspiracy theories focused on climate change and refugees. Moreover, our results suggest that trust in the mainstream media, as well as news consumption from partisan outlets, are related to beliefs in misinformation and conspiracy theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digital age has brought about fundamental questions about the viability of the public sphere. While a shared and inclusive communicative space is widely considered to be a fundamental requirement for democratic deliberation, the rise of social (and other digital) media has prompted concerns about a potential fragmentation of the public sphere. Accompanied by the simultaneous decline of quality journalism, social media have facilitated the emergence of semi-public echo chambers of like-minded people. Against the backdrop of debates on post-truth politics, such echo chambers are important arenas for the dissemination of false information, but they also undermine the epistemic added value of deliberation by inhibiting discussion on competing truth claims. Based on the argument that post-truth politics is intimately connected to the fragmentation of the public sphere, this article analyses the extent to which the German public sphere has shown signs of polarisation and fragmentation in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. This is done by investigating to which extent to which debates in leading German media have managed to adequately represent all relevant perspectives on the Russian invasion, and conversely to which extent dissonant voices have been excluded from such debates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The role social media platforms play on the emergence of polarisation is an ongoing debate in the political communication literature. Social media’s filter bubbles and online echo chambers shape people’s opinions by curating the information they have available. However, the extent to which this is the case remains unclear. Social simulation scholars have provided valuable insights into the subject through opinion dynamics models and agent-based modelling approaches. This article proposes a social simulation approach to the topic of opinion dynamics from a political communication perspective to understand how social network configurations and the media environment contribute to the emergence of national identity polarisation. We built an agent-based simulation model of national identity dynamics with a multilayer multiplex network of interacting agents in a hybrid media environment of both, traditional media and social media platforms. We use the Catalan secessionist movement to ground, contextualise and empirically inform parts of our model. We found that the initial social network setup conditions had a large impact on the emergence of polarisation amongst agents. In particular, homophily-based social networks composed of a majority of like-minded individuals produced greater polarisation compared to random networks. This was aggravated in the presence of social media filtering algorithms, selectively exposing agents to supportive information. These results emphasise the importance of both the selective exposure by social media filtering algorithms and one’s social networks (echo chambers) for polarisation to emerge. This interaction reinforces the influence of social media platforms and social networks have on the emergence of polarisation.

Fibre optic sensors are used to measure various physical quantities, including polarisation plane rotation. Existing solutions for measuring the rotation of the plane of polarisation in optical fibres are based on sensors using tilted fibre Bragg gratings (TFBGs). Articles describing the possibilities of measuring the rotation of the plane of polarisation are generally concepts that show the effect of the rotation of the plane of polarisation on quantities such as the change in optical power of the light transmitted through the TFBG, or the change in the position of the selected minimum of the light spectrum. The only method that allows the measurement of the rotation of the plane of polarisation bases on optical spectrum analysis and requires manual calibration by an experienced operator. The paper proposes a fully automatic method of sensor calibration and processing the signal from a TFBG to measure the light polarisation plane rotation. The method uses the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to process the light spectrum. An automatic algorithm to choose optimal DWT coefficients to use has been developed. The presented method offers calibration of light polarisation plane rotation angle sensors avoiding the influence of manufacturing imperfections of the measurement system components. In addition, it allows the calibration process to be fully automated without operator involvement. The developed measurement method is also fully automated. It allows measurement of angles of rotation in the range of 0-180, making it possible to distinguish between 0-90 and 90-180 rotation angle ranges without any problems. The mean square error of measurement over the entire range is 0.37 degrees, which is better than that of competing methods. In addition, an independent measurement method operating in the 82-98 rotation angle range is proposed to increase measurement precision in this range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In electoral contexts, mental health topics have recently attracted sociopolitical relevance, influenced by policy developments, election-related psychopathology and popular discourse about individual candidates. Yet, whether this reflects generalised trends or is contingent on election-specific and contextual factors remains difficult to ascertain. Aims: This study sought to examine correlations between Google Trends (GT) data on mental health and four national elections in the US and the UK from 2008 to 2020. This was intended to yield preliminary insights into the relevance of mental health topics amongst voters and the potential impact of electoral cycles on patterns of online engagement with these issues. Methods: Monthly and daily Search Volume Indexes (SVI) were gathered from the 'Mental Health' category on GT in the US and UK from 2008 to 2023. SVI were evaluated around the past four national ballots, comparing election-year intervals and baseline data from the preceding year. Statistical tests were conducted to assess SVI and short- and long-term dynamics. Findings: The results showed heterogeneous SVI patterns related to mental health during elections in the US and the UK. In the US, there were statistically significant SVI increases proximal to the majority of elections as compared to data in the same calendar year, but these did not typically exceed baseline SVI. However, interestingly, divisive US contests showed correlations with several elevated SVI measures in the same and previous years. Conversely, there was a lack of consistent longitudinal trends in UK elections, perhaps informed by its disparate sociopolitical landscape. Conclusions: These findings underline the composite relationship between electoral politics and popular engagement with mental health topics around national votes, suggesting that this is driven more by situational factors rather than a recurrent electoral effect or signs of burgeoning engagement. Detailed research is required to understand the nuances and causality behind these dynamics and their wider implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2023 Spanish general election was a snap election called unexpectedly by the PM Pedro Sánchez the day after the local and regional elections in May 2023. Turnout was higher than expected (66.6%) and the result confirmed the high degree of multi-dimensional polarisation in Spanish society. Right-wing parties improved their position: the mainstream conservative PP increased its support mainly at the expense of Ciudadanos and the far-right VOX. Yet, parties on the left, especially the incumbent PSOE, performed better than predicted by polls and, together with the seats won by regional parties, were able to keep a dominant position in Congress. A left-wing minority coalition cabinet was ultimately formed with two parties in government (PSOE and Sumar) and the parliamentary support of several regional parties. Parliamentary support was reached after an agreement that includes decentralisation measures and an amnesty to repair the judiciary consequences of the 2017 independence referendum in Catalonia, which showcases the multilevel and multidimensional complexity of Spanish politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review describes in detail the morphological, cytoskeletal and gene expression events leading to the gene regulatory network bifurcation point of trophoblast and inner cell mass cells in a variety of mammalian preimplantation embryos. The interrelated processes of compaction and polarity establishment are discussed in terms of how they affect YAP/WWTR activity and the location and fate of cells. Comparisons between mouse, human, cattle, pig and rabbit embryos suggest a conserved role for YAP/WWTR signalling in trophoblast induction in eutherian animals though the mechanisms for, and timing of, YAP/WWTR activation differs among species. Downstream targets show further differences, with the trophoblast marker GATA3 being a direct target in all examined mammals, while CDX2-positive and SOX2-negative regulation varies. [Display omitted] • Onset of compaction relative to polarisation varies among mammalian embryos. • De novo polarisation in embryos transits from apical domain to apical ring stage. • Restriction of nuclear YAP correlates to apical ring stage and trophoblast specification. • Hippo/Lats signals regulate YAP activity in mammalian embryos but not exclusively. • Variations in YAP/TEAD regulation of trophoblast lineage factors CDX2 and GATA3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries' constituencies are populated by polarised groups with sharply contrasting political loyalties and convictions, which appear to be becoming more and more extreme. We wish to explore such extreme political convictions with a focus on their place in a supporter's mind, which underpins their engagement with a political movement. We look at how a political narrative can be internalised within the person as one of their narrative threads alongside other narratives concerning, for example, familial relationships, hobbies, and work. Such a bundle of narrative threads, or at least the more central ones, can be said to constitute their identity. Using that framework, we explore the mechanisms that foster such extreme political engagement and the way a group member is committed to a political narrative. As even a very powerful political narrative is not the totality of a person's internal narrative we can see how an individual has the potential to release the hold of a political narrative, particularly if those outside the political narrative can recognise and acknowledge those non-political parts of their identity. In this way, people can build bridges across socio-political divides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Colombian peace referendum, the 2016 accord with the FARC guerrilla, which sought to end fifty years of war, was rejected by 50.2% of voters. The referendum created new identity divides between 'Yes' and 'No' voters, product of political "narrative wars" which intersected with myriad pre-existing divisions: between left and right, urban and rural, rich and poor; and between interpretations of the conflict's history. This article draws insights from the anthropology of politics together with polarisation studies to analyse the way that national politics like referendums affect and (re-)shape political identity boundaries. It uses the story of Camilo, a right-wing cattle-rancher from the conflict-torn region of Urabá who tries to build bridges across political divides, to conceptualise the way that national narratives ripple through different storied contexts as "reverberations" that act on the everyday lived experiences of identity boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Poor prognosis in lung cancer is associated with tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) that exhibit M2clike behaviours that support multiple pathways in the tumour microenvironment. The interplay between epigenetic modifications and the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway involves three key mechanisms: regulation of epigenetic enzymes by ubiquitin, interaction between ubiquitin and epigenetic modifiers, and epigenetic silencing of critical genes involved in cellular processes. Therefore, we investigated the effects of ixazomib, a proteasome inhibitor, on gene expression changes in epigenetic chromatin modification enzymes in a co-culture of M2c macrophages and A549 lung cancer cells. Methods: The IC50 concentration of ixazomib was determined to be 2.19 μM using a real-time cell analyser. THP-1 monocytes were polarised into M0 macrophages with 100 ng/mL phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), rested, and then exposed to 1 mM hydrocortisone to become M2c macrophages. A549 cells were seeded in the lower chamber of a co-culture plate. M2c macrophages were then co-cultured with A549 cells for 24 h with or without 2.19 μM ixazomib. After being isolated, mRNA was converted to cDNA and analysed using a gene panel with RT-PCR. Results: The findings showed that 56 genes had exceptionally high expression levels (up to 1848-fold. Ixazomib downregulated these overexpressed genes. Conclusion: Ixazomib effectively modulates the expression of genes involved in epigenetic chromatin modification in the lung cancer microenvironment, indicating its utility in lung cancer therapy. Further studies are needed to explore the combined use of epigenetic drugs and proteasome inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For many, search engines are crucial gateways to (political) information. While extant research is concerned with algorithmic bias, user choices had been largely neglected. Yet, search queries are the key way in which searchers explicate their information need. Building on framing theory and selective exposure, we argue that queries are ingrained with (political) predispositions: issue frames in mind of searchers manifest themselves in search terms and queries. Using Dutch survey data (N = 1994), and manual coding and latent class analysis, we explore how types of people formulate search queries about immigration and climate change (RQ1). A regression analysis shows how these searcher types relate to political attitudes and socio-demographic characteristics (RQ2). Notably, searchers formulate queries in ways that are related to their political positions, but this differs for different issues. These findings imply systematic differences in user choices which future research needs to consider when auditing search engines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this Age of the Anthropocene, the world of work is being radically disrupted by mass precarity, rising wage and income inequality, habitat destruction, and the rise of artificial intelligence. Facing such insecurity, people, we show, are careering toward radical ways of making a living. They range from radical professionals to social media influencing and environmental activism. Human security is fundamentally enhanced by sustainable livelihoods, and we explore ways not only to de-radicalise, but also to accept and embrace radical careering, if and whenever it serves the purpose of making people's livelihoods more sustainable for society, economies, and ecosystems. The article concludes by introducing an Index of Sustainable Livelihoods (SL-I). Success to the successful. The Sustainable Livelihoods Index (SL-I) is designed to be a 'visible hand' for end-users, including career counsellors, students, and workers undergoing career transitions, by Corporate Responsibility Officers, and by government ministries supporting just workforce transitions into sustainable livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 23rd of January 2019 marked the beginning of the Venezuelan Presidential Crisis, a unique socio-political conflict that confronted Nicolás Maduro, president of Venezuela, to the self-proclaimed leader Juan Guaidó. This paper explores the divisive power of conceptual metaphors in this context through the analysis of polarising metaphors, namely, metaphors that conceptualise 'Us' positively and/or 'Them' negatively. More specifically, from a corpus-based critical socio-cognitive perspective (Musolff 2016; Soares da Silva 2020; Charteris-Black 2011), this study looks at the main polarising metaphors of Maduro and Guaidó's political discourses and examines their role in the discursive construction of ideological polarisation, social identities, and legitimacy using a target-based approach (Stefanowitsch and Gries 2006). The results show that both leaders strategically use polarising metaphors, especially those of CONFRONTATION, HUMAN BEING and JOURNEY, to reproduce their ideologies, reinforce their social identities, and legitimise their political positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

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.

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.

The polycrystalline (1-x)BiFeO3-xNa0.5Bi0.5TiO3, x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15, ceramics were prepared using conventional solid-state route. The structural studies using X-ray diffraction and Raman measurements confirmed the rhombohedral R3c structure of the compounds. The scanning electron micrographs showed that grain size decreased, and the density of the compounds increased with the higher Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 content. The weak ferromagnetism was induced in the solid solution of antiferromagnetic BiFeO3 compound with Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 content. The structural distortions were increased with the increase of x, which favours the increase of weak ferromagnetism in the antiferromagnetic compound. The electric polarisation measurements indicated that leakage character decreased with the increase in Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 fraction. The temperature and frequency-dependent dielectric measurements showed that the dielectric constant was improved and loss tangent was decreased in Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 rich compounds. The temperature dependence of dielectric constant data showed a dielectric anomaly near the magnetic transition of BiFeO3, which shifted towards the lower temperature side with the increase of x. The UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy measurements evidenced an increase in band gap energy for higher Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 concentration.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Discontent is an important feature of 'left-behind places', often reflected by a high percentage of voting for populist parties. Drawing on insights from psychology, we extend previous analyses by focusing on collective embitterment as the central underlying emotional state in a region. Arguing that such negative emotions do not arise 'out of the blue', we develop a four-phase model of regional embitterment that accounts for the emotional characterisation of and the level of embitterment among the population, as well as the role of policy interventions. Based on a case study in East Thuringia, we conclude that emotions should be given more attention in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the current highly polar rod-shaped molecules that form ferroelectric nematic (NF) phase do so only at elevated temperatures and multicomponent mixtures are generally needed to obtain a broad and room temperature range NF phase. In this work, we describe the synthesis, phase characterisation and measurement of various physical properties of a new ferroelectric nematic compound 4-[(4-nitrophenoxy)carbonyl]phenyl 2-isopropoxy-4-methoxybenzoate (RT11165). The molecular structure of RT11165 with a 2-isopropoxy group differs only by a substitution of the 2-methoxy group found in the prototype ferroelectric nematic material 4-[(4-nitrophenoxy)carbonyl]phenyl 2,4-dimethoxybenzoate (RM734). This small structure change produces a rather dramatic change in phase behaviour leading to an NF phase from 63°C down to room temperature. Below about 45°C the rotational viscosity of RT11165 increases critically and the temperature dependence indicates a glass transition at ~19°C. The transparent and polar glassy state of RT11165, which should be also piezoelectric, is a good candidate for energy storage, piezoecatalysis, data storage and other applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation employs a modified version of Hummer's method to synthesise graphene oxide (GO), which is subsequently subjected to treatment with a continuous-wave (CW) laser derived from surgical laser diodes for the purpose of performing minimally invasive surgery for 30 s to yield laser-modified GO. XRD analysis was used to look at how CWlaser changed the sizes of crystallites, the distance between planes, and the average number of layers. The study examined the FTIR spectra of graphite oxidation and modification using a CW laser. Changes in the G band, D band, and 2D peaks in the Raman spectra showed disorder and multiple layers. The variations in negative zeta potential were used to analyse colloidal stability in graphite, GO, and laser-modified GO. Different types of dynamic light scattering techniques were used to study electrophoretic mobility, Brownian motion, and electrical double layers. The obtained results exhibited a high degree of agreement with the findings derived from the FTIR spectra. This work examined dielectric and impedance spectroscopy to assess relaxation behaviour that deviates from the Debye model. By fitting curves to the data, we evaluated the dielectric constant, loss, and conductivity. Graphite to laser-modified GO via GO lowered the real component of the dielectric constant at any frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, an exponential increase in the usage of social network services has been observed. These community services are typically used through different applications including personal computers, multiple applications of modern smartphones and wearable technologies. Proper identification and separation of different languages text, topic-based classification of text and classification of active users based on their published comments and posts are major challenges. In this research, our primary focus is to deal with English text collected through different IoT applications to analyse posts/comments to categorise people's opinion in politics. We have developed an IoT framework model for collecting data from social media especially Facebook, preprocessed and clean data to be used for analysis, and separation of data based on different languages. Sentiment analysis techniques are used to detect polarisation of the individual user. The proposed system clustered IoT individuals based on their comments and posts and successfully detected political polarisation. The proposed approach obtained encouraging results with a precision of 66.7%, a recall of 71.4%, and an F-measure of 69.0% in the case of annotated data of 50 users and a precision of 75.0%, a recall of 87.1%, and F-measure of 80.6% in the case of annotated data of 100 users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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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]

Summary Many biological structures take the form of fibres and filaments, and quantitative analysis of fibre organisation is important for understanding their functions in both normal physiological conditions and disease. In order to visualise these structures, fibres can be fluorescently labelled and imaged, with specialised image analysis methods available for quantifying the degree and strength of fibre alignment. Here we show that fluorescently labelled fibres can display polarised emission, with the strength of this effect varying depending on structure and fluorophore identity. This can bias automated analysis of fibre alignment and mask the true underlying structural organisation. We present a method for quantifying and correcting these polarisation effects without requiring polarisation‐resolved microscopy and demonstrate its efficacy when applied to images of fluorescently labelled collagen gels, allowing for more reliable characterisation of fibre microarchitecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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