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Echo Chambers in Encryption: How Germany\u27s NetzDG Law Displaced Far-Right Discourse and Bolstered AfD Support on Private Platforms
No full textThis study examines the relationship between social media political engagement and support for Germany\u27s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party in 2021, arguing that the 2017 Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG) inadvertently displaced anti-immigration discourse from moderated public platforms into private encrypted spaces, fostering echo chambers and radicalization. Drawing on data from the German Longitudinal Election Study pre-election survey (N=5,119 nationally representative voters), logistic regression analyses test associations between AfD support and social media political use, controlling for socio-demographic and attitudinal factors. Findings confirm hypotheses: overall social media political engagement nearly doubles AfD support odds; private encrypted apps like Telegram and WhatsApp show strongest positive associations, while public platforms like Instagram exhibit negative links; and low-visibility sharing/forwarding uniquely predicts support, unlike public actions. Results highlight a regulatory paradox: broad content moderation can backfire by pushing extremists into unenforceable private spheres, intensifying dogmatic attitudes. Implications suggest prioritizing narrower laws, media literacy, and counter-speech over punitive measures to counter far-right mobilization
Immunological Surveillance Against Cancer Across Mammals
No full textContrary to expectations based on their higher cell numbers, larger and longer-lived species do not face dramatically increased risk of cancer. This strongly suggests that evolution has fashioned natural cancer resistance mechanisms, yet our knowledge remains limited on what these mechanisms might be. The cancer immunological surveillance hypothesis, proposed by Burnet and Thomas in the 1950s, highlights immunity as a key factor determining species-specific cancer resistance. Here we address the original, evolutionary interpretation of this hypothesis by investigating the relationship between cancer mortality risk and markers of efficient antigen presentation. Our results show that the expansion of the MHC class I gene complex, as well as increased selection for diversity at these genes is associated with sharply decreasing cancer mortality risk across mammals. This suggests that the efficient presentation of diverse peptides in somatic cells is important for cancer suppression across mammals, providing pioneering evidence that supports the cancer immunosurveillance hypothesis across species
Rethinking the Moral–Conventional Divide: Experimental Evidence for Consensus-Driven Judgments
No full textA commonly held view is that moral judgments should not change based on what other people think. In moral philosophy, Social Domain Theory presents a version of this view: it defines as moral those judgments that are insensitive to the presence/absence of consensus. We designed two studies to measure the consensus-sensitivity of moral judgments (N = 731). We measured peoples’ personal judgments and expectations about others’ judgments using a within-subjects design that manipulated whether an action aligned with or violated the local normative consensus. Across six diverse vignettes (five covering “moral” domains) participants consistently shifted their judgments in response to local consensus. To assess the robustness of this consensus effect, we also varied whether an authority endorsed the action, whether it involved harm, and whether it took place in an unfamiliar or temporally distant context, as qualified versions of Social Domain Theory stipulate that moral judgments may depend on these factors. In our studies, authority endorsement had a negligible impact. Even harmful acts became more acceptable when presented as consensus-supported. Sensitivity to consensus was further amplified in temporally distant or alien settings, suggesting that outside their own cultural milieu, subjects place greater weight on communal endorsement. Taken together, these findings challenge the sharp boundary often drawn between moral and conventional domains: moral judgments, though constrained by harm, still flex in light of perceived social approval. Our findings suggest the need for an alternative account of the distinction between moral and conventional judgments
The Manipulation of Odor Availability of Training Aids Used in Detection Canine Training
Full text linkDetection canines can identify numerous substances for which they have been trained. Historically, and a point of ongoing contention, detection canine threshold (i.e., sensitivity or limit of detection) training has primarily focused on changing the weight of the training aid substance used. There has been minimal focus on other principles, such as surface area, confinement, and temperature, which can be manipulated to affect odor availability. That said, trainers have been manipulating odor availability for years without necessarily understanding the governing scientific principles. The aim of this review is to highlight the principles that control odor availability of a substance and how an end user can apply these principles for operational detection canine training needs
Glacial Lakes Outburst Susceptibility and Risk in the Eastern Himalayas Using Analytical Hierarchy Process and Backpropagation Neural Network Models
Full text linkThe Himalayan cryosphere is dynamic, and changing climate conditions threaten breach of glacial lakes. A number of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) occurred in the Himalayas in the recent past, affecting people and infrastructures. Assessment of high-altitude glacial lakes is required to avoid associated hazards and mitigate the impacts. In this study, we have made an inventory of naturally formed lakes within the Sikkim Himalayas, including Nepal, Bhutan, and China, and discussed the GLOF susceptibility. A total of 399 lakes have been identified, out of which 281 lakes have an areal coverage greater than 0.01 Km2. Monitoring temporal changes shows a higher rate of areal increment for the lakes close to the western boundary of Sikkim. Using an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) based on fifteen parameters, a number of glacial lakes show medium to high GLOF susceptibility in the Himalayan and surrounding regions. Three backpropagation multilayer perceptron neural network (BPMLPNN) models with Bayesian Regularization (BR-), Levenberg-Marquardt (LM-), and Gradient Descent with Momentum and Adaptive Learning Rate (GDX-) optimizers are designed to have better prediction accuracies compared to the AHP target scores. The BR-BPMLPNN model is observed with maximum performance and close similitude with the results obtained from the LM-BPMLPNN model
Investigating Student Noticing of Quantitative Reasoning in Introductory Biology Labs
Full text linkQuantitative reasoning (QR) is a key skill for undergraduate biology education. Despite this, many students struggle with QR. Here, we use the theoretical framework of student noticing to investigate why some students struggle with QR in introductory biology labs. Under this framework, what students notice when given new information and data influences how they process this information and connect it with other events to form new conceptions. Students must mentally isolate given features, create mental records of those features, and identify features or objects that they connect to existing knowledge. Identifying these features or objects is thus critical since they form the foundation upon which learning takes place. We conducted observations of groups in introductory biology labs involving QR, which informed follow-up interviews to examine what students notice, the level/relevance of their noticing, and factors that shape student noticing. We find that some students are noticing more perceptual features, often focusing on less relevant trends and features, with others noticing deeper, more relevant patterns that facilitate conceptual sensemaking. In addition, we find multiple factors, including students’ expectations and their attitude toward QR and biology, that shape student noticing. We conclude with implications for instructors and the biology education research community
Naphthalene Decomposition on Fe(110)─Adsorption, Dehydrogenation, Surface Carbon Formation and the Influence of Coadsorbed Oxygen
Full text linkTar is an undesirable byproduct of biomass gasification, which can be removed through catalytic reforming to syngas components. Iron is a promising, abundant alternative to highly active but toxic nickel catalysts. The results observed so far in catalytic studies with iron have been mixed. In this paper, the decomposition of naphthalene, a representative model compound of tar, was studied on the catalytic Fe(110) surface using temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), sum frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Napthalene adsorption, dehydrogenation and the formation of surface carbon were investigated, as well as the influence of oxygen. In comparison with previous studies on Ni(111), a similar dehydrogenation activity was found for Fe(110) with two main H2 TPD peaks at 450 and 550 K. The reaction of naphthalene on Fe(110) resulted in the predominant formation of carbidic and atomically adsorbed carbon on the surface, which did not dissolve into the bulk even at high temperatures. A moderately carbon-covered surface was shown to still be active toward naphthalene decomposition. Similarly to Ni(111), large amounts of oxygen inhibited the reaction but, at low oxygen doses, very high hydrogen yields were observed, suggesting that Fe(110) could be a valid alternative for tar decomposition
