240 research outputs found
Social determinants of content selection in the age of (mis)information
Despite the enthusiastic rhetoric about the so called \emph{collective
intelligence}, conspiracy theories -- e.g. global warming induced by chemtrails
or the link between vaccines and autism -- find on the Web a natural medium for
their dissemination. Users preferentially consume information according to
their system of beliefs and the strife within users of opposite narratives may
result in heated debates. In this work we provide a genuine example of
information consumption from a sample of 1.2 million of Facebook Italian users.
We show by means of a thorough quantitative analysis that information
supporting different worldviews -- i.e. scientific and conspiracist news -- are
consumed in a comparable way by their respective users. Moreover, we measure
the effect of the exposure to 4709 evidently false information (satirical
version of conspiracy theses) and to 4502 debunking memes (information aiming
at contrasting unsubstantiated rumors) of the most polarized users of
conspiracy claims. We find that either contrasting or teasing consumers of
conspiracy narratives increases their probability to interact again with
unsubstantiated rumors.Comment: misinformation, collective narratives, crowd dynamics, information
spreadin
Diversity of hard-bottom fauna relative to environmental gradients in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard
A baseline study of hard-bottom zoobenthos in relation to environmental gradients in Kongsfjorden, a glacial fjord in Svalbard, is presented, based on collections from 1996 to 1998. The total species richness in 62 samples from 0 to 30 m depth along five transects was 403 species. Because 32 taxa could not be identified to species level and because 11 species are probably new to science, the total number of identified species was 360. Of these, 47 species are new for Svalbard waters. Bryozoa was the most diverse group. Biogeographic composition revealed features of both Arctic and sub-Arctic properties of the fauna. Species richness, frequency of species occurrence, mean abundance and biomass generally decreased towards the tidal glaciers in inner Kongsfjorden. Among eight environmental factors, depth was most important for explaining variance in the composition of the zoobenthos. The diversity was consistently low at shallow depths, whereas the non-linear patterns of species composition of deeper samples indicated a transitional zone between surface and deeper water masses at 15–20 m depth. Groups of “colonial” and “non-colonial” species differed in diversity, biogeographic composition and distribution by location and depth as well as in relation to other environmental factors. “Non-colonial” species made a greater contribution than “colonial” species to total species richness, total occurrence and biomass in samples, and were more influenced by the depth gradient. Biogeographic composition was sensitive to variation of zoobenthic characteristics over the studied depth range. A list of recorded species and a description of sampling sites are presented
The local economic development processes in low-income countries: the case of the metropolis of Chegutu in Zimbabwe
Local authorities are widely regarded as catalysts accelerating localised processes of economic development in industrialised countries but in low-income countries they are perceived as dysfunctional, inefficient and ineffective in meeting and addressing societal demands. This abstract view is however, not grounded in empirical research. As such, utilising the case of the metropolis of Chegutu a survey was designed to empirically explicate the economic processes militating its economic development. The findings are useful to policy-makers, local government authorities and management scholars. The study's unique contribution lies in its examination of the processes of local economic development in a low-income country
Adiabatic population transfer via multiple intermediate states
This paper discusses a generalization of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage
(STIRAP) in which the single intermediate state is replaced by intermediate
states. Each of these states is connected to the initial state \state{i} with
a coupling proportional to the pump pulse and to the final state \state{f}
with a coupling proportional to the Stokes pulse, thus forming a parallel
multi- system. It is shown that the dark (trapped) state exists only
when the ratio between each pump coupling and the respective Stokes coupling is
the same for all intermediate states. We derive the conditions for existence of
a more general adiabatic-transfer state which includes transient contributions
from the intermediate states but still transfers the population from state
\state{i} to state \state{f} in the adiabatic limit. We present various
numerical examples for success and failure of multi- STIRAP which
illustrate the analytic predictions. Our results suggest that in the general
case of arbitrary couplings, it is most appropriate to tune the pump and Stokes
lasers either just below or just above all intermediate states.Comment: 14 pages, two-column revtex style, 10 figure
Squeezing arbitrary cavity-field states through their interaction with a single driven atom
We propose an implementation of the parametric amplification of an arbitrary
radiation-field state previously prepared in a high-Q cavity. This nonlinear
process is accomplished through the dispersive interactions of a single
three-level atom (fundamental |g>, intermediate |i>, and excited |e> levels)
simultaneously with i) a classical driving field and ii) a previously prepared
cavity mode whose state we wish to squeeze. We show that, in the adiabatic
approximantion, the preparation of the initial atomic state in the intermediate
level |i> becomes crucial for obtaing the degenerated parametric amplification
process.Comment: Final published versio
Preparation and control of a cavity-field state through atom-driven field interaction: towards long-lived mesoscopic states
The preparation of mesoscopic states of the radiation and matter fields
through atom-field interactions has been achieved in recent years and employed
for a range of striking applications in quantum optics. Here we present a
technique for the preparation and control of a cavity mode which, besides
interacting with a two-level atom, is simultaneously submitted to linear and
parametric amplification processes. The role of the amplification-controlling
fields in the achievement of real mesoscopic states, is to produce
highly-squeezed field states and, consequently, to increase both: i) the
distance in phase space between the components of the prepared superpositions
and ii) the mean photon number of such superpositions. When submitting the
squeezed superposition states to the action of similarly squeezed reservoirs,
we demonstrate that under specific conditions the decoherence time of the
states becomes independent of both the distance in phase space between their
components and their mean photon number. An explanation is presented to support
this remarkable result, together with a discussion on the experimental
implementation of our proposal. We also show how to produce number states with
fidelities higher than those derived as circular states
The Azithromycin to Prevent Wheezing following severe RSV bronchiolitis-II clinical trial: Rationale, study design, methods, and characteristics of study population
Severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis in early life is a significant risk factor for future recurrent wheeze (RW) and asthma. The goal of the Azithromycin to Prevent Wheezing following severe RSV bronchiolitis II (APW-RSV II) clinical trial is to evaluate if azithromycin treatment in infants hospitalized with RSV bronchiolitis reduces the occurrence of RW during the preschool years. The APW-RSV II clinical trial is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, randomized trial, including otherwise healthy participants, ages 30 days-18 months, who are hospitalized due to RSV bronchiolitis. The study includes an active randomized treatment phase with azithromycin or placebo for 2 weeks, and an observational phase of 18-48 months. Two hundred participants were enrolled during three consecutive RSV seasons beginning in the fall of 2016 and were randomized to receive oral azithromycin 10 mg/kg/day for 7 days followed by 5 mg/kg/day for an additional 7 days, or matched placebo. The study hypothesis is that in infants hospitalized with RSV bronchiolitis, the addition of azithromycin therapy to routine bronchiolitis care would reduce the likelihood of developing post-RSV recurrent wheeze (≥3 episodes). The primary clinical outcome is the occurrence of a third episode of wheezing, which is evaluated every other month by phone questionnaires and during yearly in-person visits. A secondary objective of the APW-RSV II clinical trial is to examine how azithromycin therapy changes the upper airway microbiome composition, and to determine if these changes are related to the occurrence of post-RSV RW. Microbiome composition is characterized in nasal wash samples obtained before and after the study treatments. This clinical trial may identify the first effective intervention applied during severe RSV bronchiolitis to reduce the risk of post-RSV RW and ultimately asthma
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