Don’t tell me how to fact-check; show me, and let me try! A media literacy intervention with sixth-graders

This study examines how different educational approaches related to Fria Ordets Dag (Free Speech Day), a media literacy program by the Swedish public service, affect the ability of 859 sixth-graders to evaluate news and misinformation. Findings indicate that verbal instructions from a professional fact-checker and animations to model online fact-checking were less effective than demonstrative, authentic video tutorials. Feedback and practice were also important. The intervention yielded mixed outcomes on students’ attitudes towards credible news sources, pointing to the necessity for educational designs that bolster fact-checking and source trust. The research emphasizes how large-scale school interventions to promote students’ navigation of (mis)information are possible but also need to be carefully investigated to safeguard the usefulness and development of such interventions

Risk Mitigation for the Vulnerable Segment of a Population under Short-Notice Disasters Using Autonomous Vehicles

With the deployment of autonomous vehicles, new opportunities exist to mitigate risks for the vulnerable. Vulnerable is an individual or group whose characteristics or assets induce susceptibility to the negative impacts of hazards. Vulnerable segments of a population include the elderly, very young, individuals with mobility challenges, language or communication barriers, institutionalized populations, migrants, and tourists. This study examines the reduction in risk posed by extreme events to vulnerable populations under short notice. It compares the traditional evacuation strategy with an alternative that enacts an early wave of sheltering for the vulnerable transported using autonomous vehicles. As the general population prepares to evacuate by securing properties, autonomous vehicles can already proactively transport the vulnerable population segments to shelters. Social science validates this strategy, evidencing the predisposition of households with vulnerable members to evacuate early. Thus, the proposed phased-evacuation strategy aligns with the actual behavior of the vulnerable. Using the Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island, as a case study, this research quantifies its hazard exposure and its vulnerable population extent through a risk assessment. Historical storms from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Storm Events Database characterize the exposure, while U.S. Census data, complemented by targeted surveys, determines vulnerability specifics and extent. The research aims to assess the risk reduction from phasing the evacuation and prioritizing the vulnerable. Effective risk mitigation requires not only transportation planning but also active public-private partnerships to address the specific vulnerabilities faced

Altered Mental Status Due to Amantadine Withdrawal: A Case Report

Background and Clinical Significance: Withdrawal symptoms from an abrupt discontinuation or rapid dose reduction in amantadine has been documented as early as 1987. Symptoms can align with several diagnoses, including but not limited to infection, fever, worsening of Parkinson’s disease, seizures, and an altered mental status. In the case described, the timely diagnosis of amantadine withdrawal was delayed due to its nonspecific presentation. Case Presentation: A man in his 60s presented with lethargy, confusion, and delayed responses. His past medical history included parkinsonism, a seizure, type 2 diabetes, and schizoaffective disorder. Outpatient medications included amantadine, benztropine, divalproex, levetiracetam, paliperidone, risperidone, and semaglutide. He was admitted for an altered mental status, and home medications were held when he became NPO. A nasogastric tube was placed, and amantadine was restarted. Following the amantadine reinitiation, the patient returned to baseline and, after ruling out other causes, was diagnosed with amantadine withdrawal. He ultimately completed a 20-day admission and was discharged to a nursing home. Conclusions: The timely diagnosis of amantadine withdrawal was delayed due to its nonspecific presentation. For patients taking amantadine, clinicians should include amantadine withdrawal in their list of differential diagnoses, and in cases of altered mentation, a careful review of the medication list is essential

Live Cell Breast Cancer Phenotyping Using Spectral Fingerprinting of SWCNTs Coupled with Machine Learning

Detecting Breast cancer at an early stage is a significant challenge because of its multiple subtypes and elusive heterogeneous nature. An innovative single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) NIR fluorescence spectral fingerprinting approach in conjunction with a machine learning algorithm could precisely detect breast cancer subtypes in vitro. We demonstrate this concept by incubating DNA-functionalized SWCNTs with a panel of human breast cell lines: the non-tumorigenic MCF-10A and cancer cell lines MCF-7, HCC1954 (HER2+), MDAMB-231, and MDA-MB-468 (triple-negative). The NIR fluorescence spectra of SWCNTs across 500 individual cells of the mentioned cell types showed significant differences in emission peak intensities, center wavelengths, and peak intensity ratios, attributable to variations in cellular uptake and biomolecular interactions. These features were used to train a support vector machine learning (SVM) model. The model achieved more than 90% classification accuracy, selectivity, and precision, effectively distinguishing cancerous subtypes from noncancerous cells. Insights from this research enhance the development of nanomaterial-based platforms for biosensing and provide potential for real-time monitoring of in vivo cellular differentiation

Building resilience: The influence of the format on the effectiveness of news literacy messages

Although academic interest in news literacy messages (NLM) has grown, many questions about them remain unresolved. First, it remains unclear how the format of the NLM influences its effectiveness. Second, we still know little about their long-term effectiveness. To answer these questions, this study conducted a two-wave experiment in Belgium. We compared NLMs in the format of a text, an infographic, and video. We also manipulated elements in the false news article that participants had to evaluate. Our findings show that NLMs are effective and that the effects remain over a middle-long period of two weeks. Second, we find that on the short-term infographics are less effective than NLMs in the format of a text or video. In the middle-long term only videos have a significant effect. Lastly, we find suggestive evidence that NLMs work partly because people take over their recommendations, although here we find no differences between formats

Cruise Industry Considerations of Coastal Hazards Resilience for Cruise Ports: A Baseline Survey

Cruise ports are highly susceptible to coastal hazards. Coastal hazards can be both widespread and region-specific, impacting the cruise industry in pre-disaster planning, during-event operations, and post-event recovery. The severity and frequency of these hazards will increase with climate change, presenting an essential need to understand the cruise industry’s capacity, perspectives, and planning for cruise port resilience. This research conducted a baseline, global survey of cruise industry practitioners to determine industry perceptions around coastal hazard impact to operations, future perspectives and concerns, and best practices regarding hazard impacts to ports, destination communities, and operations. In partnership with the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) and a steering committee comprised of relevant industry experts, the survey yielded 89 usable responses from cruise ports, cruise lines, trade associations, and other relevant practitioners. Key findings include that 98% of respondents are concerned about coastal hazards impacting cruise operations in the next 50 years, while only 39% feel sufficiently informed about these hazards. This research identifies gaps in cruise capacity and cross-industry collaboration, which can direct focus to areas of shared investment to mitigate risk and advance adaptation efforts. Future research should build off this study to highlight cross-industry collaboration with local communities, as well as within-industry education and mitigation of coastal hazard impacts

Shareholder Rights and Staggered Boards

This study examines how board structure influences shareholder voting on proxy proposals. Using U.S. data from 2010–2021, it shows that shareholder rights proposals receive significantly higher support than other governance or ESG proposals, especially at firms with staggered boards. Results suggest that board entrenchment amplifies investor demand for rights-enhancing reforms and shapes strategic voting behavior

Rapid Identification and Classification of eccentric binary blackhole mergers using Machine Learning

The future of Gravitational Wave (GW) detectors [LVK] have made remarkable progress, with an expanding sensitivity band and for upcoming observing runs [O4 and beyond]. Among the various GW signals, eccentric binary mergers present an intriguing and computationally challenging aspect. We address the imperative need for efficient detection and classification of eccentric binary mergers using Machine Learning (ML) techniques. Traditional Bayesian Parameter estimation methods, while accurate, can be prohibitively time-consuming and computationally expensive. To overcome this challenge, we leverage the capabilities of ML to expedite the identification and classification of eccentric GW events. I will present our approach that employs Separable Convolutional Neural Networks (SCNN) to discern between non-eccentric and eccentric binary mergers and further classify the latter into categories of low, moderate, and high eccentricity mergers

What’s Critical in Critical Media Literacy? Barriers and Good Practices in Adult Education

While there is broad consensus regarding the social and educational need for CML, its actual didactic content and especially the meaning of ‘critical’ are far from clear. The article argues for a turn to educational practices. Findings are based on empirical research on adult education in Vienna (Austria) consisting mainly of interviews with expert-practitioners in the field of adult education and media and/or digital literacy. We confront academic definitions of the critical impetus of CML with an analysis of innovative projects, which were designed for accessibility and addressed learners facing high educational barriers. Our findings encourage a turn towards the ‘doing’ of critical practices, in which action and reflection are always enmeshed rather than being neatly separated. Our cases show that such an embedding of critical competencies is possible in educational settings, but requires CML to exchange the proclaiming of a critical stance for the messy reality of reflection-in-action

Beyond the Rust: Union Decline, Economic Shock, and White Working-Class Realignment in the Midwest

In the aftermath of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Donald J. Trump secured unexpected victories in five Midwestern states, reversing decades of Democratic dominance. This political shift highlighted the weakening of traditional Democratic support among the white working class in economically struggling industrial regions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the socio-economic and structural factors contributing to this realignment, with a particular focus on the role of declining labor unions and the manufacturing industry. Using Henry County (Illinois) as a representative case study, a quantitative survey was conducted to analyze voter behavior, supported by economic data across multiple Midwestern swing counties. The results suggest a strong connection between economic downturns (particularly in the manufacturing sector) and increased support for Republican candidates. Furthermore, union decline significantly weakened Democratic mobilization efforts. The study concludes that Trump’s 2016 coalition was not a short-term anomaly, but the culmination of long-term economic and institutional transformations that redefined voter identity in the industrial heartland