Application of Geometric Polarization to Invariance Properties in Bistatic Scattering

Bistatic polarimetric radars provide target properties which just one monostatic system can not reveal. Moreover, augmentation of monostatic systems through the provision of bistatic receive-only stations can be a cheap way to increase the amount of remote sensing data. However, bistatic scattering needs to be investigated in order to properly define target properties such as symmetries and invariance, especially regarding choices of polarization basis. In this paper we discuss how the geometric theory of polarization, in which the geometry of the Poincaré sphere is directly related to 3-D geometry of space rather than the 2-D geometry of the wavefront plane, can be used to reduce the ambiguities in the interpretation of data. We also show how in the coherent case a complex scalar invariant can be determined irrespective of the basis combinations

NGO Legitimacy: Four Models

The aim of this paper is to examine NGOs’ legitimacy in the context of global politics. In order to yield a better understanding of NGOs’ legitimacy at the international level it is important to examine how their legitimacy claims are evaluated. This paper proposes dividing the literature into four models based on the theoretical and analytical approaches to their legitimacy claims: the market model, social change model, new institutionalism model and the critical model. The legitimacy criteria generated by the models are significantly different in their analytical scope of how one is to assess the role of NGOs operating as political actors contributing to democracy. The paper argues that the models present incomplete, and sometimes conflicting, views of NGOs’ legitimacy and that this poses a legitimacy dilemma for those assessing the political agency of NGOs in world politics. The paper concludes that only by approaching their legitimacy holistically can the democratic role of NGOs be explored and analysed in the context of world politics

Neural processing of criticism and positive comments from relatives in individuals with schizotypal personality traits

Objectives. High negative expressed emotion by family members towards schizophrenia patients increases the risk of subsequent relapse. The study aimed to determine whether individuals with high schizotypy (HS) and low schizotypy (LS) would differ in activation of brain areas involved in cognitive control when listening to relative criticism

Prognostic factors for response to treatment by corticosteroid injection or surgery in carpal tunnel syndrome (PaLMS study): a prospective multi‐centre cohort study

Introduction: Studies of prognosis for surgery and corticosteroid injection for carpal tunnel syndrome have considered only a limited range of explanatory variables for outcome. Methods: Data were prospectively collected on patient‐reported symptoms, physical and psychological functioning, comorbidity and quality of life at baseline and 6 monthly for up to 2 years. Outcomes were patient‐rated change over a 6‐month period and symptom‐severity score at 18 months. Results: 754 patients with CTS completed baseline questionnaires and 626 (83%) completed follow‐up to 18 months. Multivariable modelling identified, independent of symptom severity at outset, higher health utility, fewer comorbidities and lower anxiety as significant predictors of better outcome from surgery. In patients treated by steroid injection, independent of symptom severity at outset, shorter duration of symptoms and having no prior injection were significant predictors of better outcome. Discussion: These multivariable models of outcome may inform shared decision‐making about treatment for CTS

Cognitive attraction and online misinformation

© The Author(s) 2019. The spread of online misinformation has gained mainstream attention in recent years. This paper approaches this phenomenon from a cultural evolution and cognitive anthropology perspective, focusing on the idea that some cultural traits can be successful because their content taps into general cognitive preferences. This research involves 260 articles from media outlets included in two authoritative lists of websites known for publishing hoaxes and ‘fake news’, tracking the presence of negative content, threat-related information, presence of sexually related material, elements associated to disgust, minimally counterintuitive elements (and a particular category of them, i.e., violations of essentialist beliefs), and social information, intended as presence of salient social interactions (e.g., gossip, cheating, formation of alliances), and as news about celebrities. The analysis shows that these features are, to a different degree, present in most texts, and thus that general cognitive inclinations may contribute to explain the success of online misinformation. This account can elucidate questions such as whether and why misinformation online is thriving more than accurate information, or the role of ‘fake news’ as a weapon of political propaganda. Online misinformation, while being an umbrella term covering many different phenomena, can be characterised, in this perspective, not as low-quality information that spreads because of the inefficiency of online communication, but as high-quality information that spreads because of its efficiency. The difference is that ‘quality’ is not equated to truthfulness but to psychological appeal.The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO VIDI-grant 016.144312)

Advancing the sustainable development goals: evidence from leading European banks

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reflect grand challenges the global community needs to address in order to ensure economic welfare, environmental quality as well as social cohesion and prosperity for future generations. In this respect, the role of the banking sector, among other critical business entities and key stakeholders, is vital. The purpose of our paper is to examine how comprehensively the reported performance of banks aligns with the endorsement of the SDGs. We employ the well-established framework of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) performance indicators for a comparative assessment of the nonfinancial performance disclosed in the annual sustainability reports. Focusing on a small sample of leading European banks, we find an overall low contribution to the SDGs. Furthermore, each bank’s contribution remains particularly heterogeneous towards most individual SDG goals. Likewise, bank-specific strategies drive the most extensively addressed SDGs, overlooking any critical importance of certain GRI indicators with multifaceted impact across several SDGs. The study sets forth managerial implications for improving effective reporting of SDG performance. It concludes with emerging opportunities for enhancing disclosure of SDGs contribution and highlights future research perspectives towards industry-wide shared-value appraisal under the scope of these pressing grand challenges

Peopling mountain environments: Changing Andean livelihoods in north-west Argentina

Structural adjustment and neoliberal policy implementation in Latin America have had dramatic consequences for livelihoods and patterns of natural resource use in mountain regions. Restructuring of the agricultural economy has increased socio-economic hardship and reduced industrial labour requirements, altering traditional patterns of seasonal migration from these areas. This paper examines the implications of recent economic and political transformation for Andean livelihoods in the mountains of northwest Argentina. Case study material illustrates the local impacts of such changes on socio-economic dynamics, patterns of urban–rural interaction, and natural resource use. The research highlights the influence of agro-industrial restructuring, protected areas creation, and the distribution of social funds in the region. It reveals that local development is constrained and controlled not only by distant policies but also by contemporary local networks of political clientalism. The influence of both distant and proximate factors governing livelihoods and environmental impacts reinforces the value of geographical study in mountain areas, given its acute spatial and scalar awareness. The paper reaffirms the conception of mountain livelihoods as diverse and dynamic, shaped by economic, political, social and cultural factors as well as physical eality, and critiques the economic rationality of resource use assumed by policymakers and economic models