Scientific power in the Spanish press during the pandemic: a portrait of new leaders while explaining its risk

This work is based on the mediatisation of society theory, which establishes more attached importance and the presence of the mass media as mediators in various social processes, as well as on Production Studies, that analyse creative skills to draw an audience, to apply these theories to the media representation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective is to analyse how the generalist media have represented male/female scientists, who have become social benchmarks during the first COVID-19 wave in Spain. Our initial hypothesis considers that the purpose of the mediatisation of scientific discourse was to contribute answers to, and to keep society calm, in an uncertainty context. By content and discourse analyses with a sample formed by 172 pieces of work published between 25 January and 5 July 2020 in four Spanish digital newspapers, we observed how these specialists not only became the usual sources of journalistic information but were also the main leading figures in them. The mass media pay attention to their statements, but also to their aesthetics and communication style, which are singular compared to conventional power to date. Science enters the national section with its own image and explanatory intentionality. Nonetheless, constant overexposure and its link with governments making controversial decisions influence the image held by the public opinion of scientists with time, which dissociates them from its knowledge and identifies them with political power.Este trabajo parte de la teoría de la mediatización de la sociedad, que establece el aumento de la importancia y presencia de los medios de comunicación como mediadores en diversos procesos sociales, así como de los Estudios de Producción, que analizan las habilidades creativas para atraer a la audiencia, para aplicarla a la representación mediática de la pandemia de COVID-19. El objetivo es analizar cómo medios generalistas han representado a los y las científicas convertidos en referentes sociales durante la primera ola en España. Nuestra hipótesis de partida considera que la mediatización del discurso científico ha tenido como propósito aportar respuestas y tranquilidad a la sociedad en un contexto de incertidumbre. A través del análisis de contenido y del análisis del discurso de una muestra formada por 172 piezas publicadas entre el 25 de enero y el 5 de julio de 2020en cuatro diarios digitales españoles, se observa que estos especialistas no solo se han convertido en fuentes habituales de las informaciones periodísticas, sino que en ocasiones incluso las protagonizan. Los medios de comunicación prestan atención a sus declaraciones, pero también a su estética y estilo de comunicación, singular frente al poder convencional hasta ahora. La ciencia entra en la sección de Nacional con imagen propia e intencionalidad explicativa. No obstante, la sobreexposición continua y el vínculo con gobiernos que toman decisiones polémicas influye con el paso del tiempo en la imagen que la opinión pública genera de los científicos, los desvincula de su conocimiento y los identifica con el poder político

Subtropical wetland adaptations in Uruguay during the mid-Holocene: An archaeobotanical perspective

Reproduced with permission of the publisher. © Oxbow Books and the individual auhtors, 2001. Details of the publication are available at: http://www.oxbowbooks.com/bookinfo.cfm/ID/3080

Crotonaldehyde hydrogenation on Rh/TiO2 catalysts. In situ DRIFTS studies

The surface and catalytic properties in the vapor-phase hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde on Rh/TiO2 has been studied. It was found that a partial reduction of the support produces a surface decoration of the metal component. Thus, interfacial sites are created, which are responsible of an increase in the selectivity to crotyl alcohol, via enhancement of the polarization of the C=O bond. Photoelectron spectra revelead that rhodium is in different oxidation states, with a contribution of ca. 20 % Rhd + and 80 % Rhº species for LTR catalyst and only a slight increase of Rhd + for HTR catalyst. TEM studies revelead that Rh has metal particle size close 3 nm with small increases in the catalyst reduced at high temperature. DRIFTS essayed carried out under reaction conditions allowed to identify crotonaldehyde species strongly adsorbed through the C=C bond and weakly coordinated through both the C=C and C=O bonds. After reduction at 723 K an increase in the peak at 1660 cm-1 ascribed to an interaction between the carbonyl group and the surface, was observed. This peak seems to be stabilized at interfacial Rh/TiOx sites The deactivation in crotyl alcohol formation can be ascribed to the generation of strongly chemisorbed asymmetric carboxylate species detected by band at 1740 cm-1. This band grows at expense of crotonaldehyde O s - bonded intermediate chemisorbed on coordinatively unsaturated sites (Lewis acid sites) responsible of the crotyl alcohol obtaintion (detected by a band at 1653 cm-1). Additionally, a small band at 2068 cm-1 assigned to CO adsorbed on transition metals, which increases with time on-stream may explain the deactivation of the catalysts in flow systems

On the Use of the FuzzyARTMAP Neural Network for Pattern Recognition in Statistical Process Control using a Factorial Design

Time-series statistical pattern recognition is of prime importance in statistics, especially in quality control techniques for manufacturing processes. A frequent problem in this application is the complexity when trying to determine the behaviour (pattern) from sample data. There have been identified standard patterns which are commonly present when using the X chart; its detection depends on human judgement supported by norms and graphical criteria. In the last few years, it has been demonstrated that Artificial Neural Networks (ANN’s) are useful to predict the type of time-series pattern instead of the use of rules. However, the ANN control parameters have to be fixed to values that maximize its performance. This research proposes an experimental design methodology to determine the most appropriate values for the control parameters of the FuzzyARTMAP ANN such as: learning rate (β ) and network vigilance (ρa, ρb, ρab) in order to increment the neural network efficiency during unnatural pattern recognition

EBSD texture analysis of an AlCuMg alloy for different solidification rates

The 3xx series aluminium alloys are widely used for automotive applications. However, increments in engine power density result in higher alloy mechanical properties requirements for components such as cylinder heads. These alloys should perform better at high temperatures (>200 °C). A good alternative to the traditional Al-Si alloys are the Al- Cu based alloys. However, hot tear tendency is a big obstacle for the widespread use of this family of alloys [1]. The present work focus on determine the relationship between crack occurrence and grain orientation, as a result of the solidification rate. Grain refinement elements such as Ti and Zn are added to the alloy to reduce hot tearing tendency. Two different variants of AlCuMg alloy are evaluated at different solidification rates.Postprint (published version