False Claims Research Articles

Repeated Exposure to COVID-19 Misinformation: A Longitudinal Analysis of Prevalence and Predictors in a Community Sample.

Belief in health misinformation can affect individual health decisions and actions. Repeated exposure to the same misinformation strengthens its impact, yet little is known about how commonly repeated exposure occurs. To estimate the prevalence, we tracked exposure to 5 inaccurate COVID-19 claims every week for up to 23 consecutive weeks in a racially diverse panel of adults (n=213). Repeated exposure was common: across the 5 claims, 10%-43% of respondents reported hearing the misinformation in≥3 different weeks. Frontline workers were more likely than other community members to experience repeated exposure, with adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) ranging from 1.8 to 4.9 across the 4 items. Repeated exposure was most common among older adults. Adjusted IRR for those ages≥50 versus 18-29years ranged from 1.8 to 2.5 per misinformation claim. Public health planning efforts to counter health misinformation should anticipate multiple exposures to the same false claim, especially in certain subgroups.

Malicious replica quarantining protocol for Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks using replica detection and identification

Since sensor networks are deployed in harsh and unattended environments, and the nodes are not tamper-resistant, security is crucial for all the impending sensor network applications. When physically compromised, confidential credential of sensor nodes may be revealed to adversaries. Upon obtaining the credentials, an adversary can produce a number of replicas of a compromised legitimate node. These replicas interfere with or prevent the normal operation of the network through attacks called replica or imposterattacks. Hence detection, identification and quarantining of replicas attacks are crucial. Existing schemes mostly focus on static sensor networks while solutions for MWSN’s are also available. Upon discovering that an id is used by multiple nodes, these schemes quarantine all nodes with the same id without distinguishing the legitimate node from its replicas. In this paper, we propose a novel distributed light-weight and memory efficient signature-based protocol for quarantining malicious replicas in the presence of Byzantine replicas in MWSN’s. This protocol quarantines only the replicas that present wrong sensed data in the presence of Byzantine replicas that modify and communicate its data and send false claims. The proposed protocol uses a signature generation, exchange and verification scheme to detect, uniquely identify and distinguish replicas with the same id among multiple replicas for a single legitimate node. The protocol quarantines only the malicious replicas that present wrong sensed data among all the detected replicas of each legitimate node by uniquely identifying the malicious replicas using their unique signatures.

Moralization of Rationality Can Stimulate Sharing of Hostile and False News on Social Media, but Intellectual Humility Inhibits it

ABSTRACT Many assume that if citizens were more inclined to moralize the values of evidence-based and logical thinking, they would be less likely to share politically hostile, conspiratorial, and false claims on social media. In contrast, on the basis of theories of status seeking and persuasion, we argue that moralization of rationality may actually stimulate the spread of hostile partisan news online, including fabricated claims. Across three large surveys (N = 4800) run on U.S. respondents (one exploratory and two pre-registered), we provide empirical evidence for this prediction and demonstrate that the moralization of rationality can be a form of moral grandstanding by status seekers inclined to spread hostile (mis)information to reach partisan goals. In contrast to such grandstanding with respect to rationality, our studies find robust evidence that intellectual humility – that is, the awareness that intuitions are fallible and that trusting others is often desirable – may protect people from both sharing and believing hostile and false political news online.

Wails Inside Arab Homes: Examining the lived experiences and exploitation of returnee Ugandan migrant domestic workers from Saudi Arabia

The study aimed to investigate the experiences and exploitation of Ugandan migrant domestic workers who returned from Saudi Arabia. The study followed a constructivist paradigm, an interpretive framework that focuses on individuals' understanding of the world and their creation of unique meanings. A qualitative approach was utilised, specifically employing a phenomenological case study design. Data was gathered through unstructured interviews with twenty-eight (28) migrant domestic workers. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. The findings regarding the lived experiences and exploitation of returnee Ugandan migrant domestic workers were visualised through concept maps created using NVivo version 10.0. The study discovered that the returnee workers' experiences were primarily related to their interactions with various individuals in their employers' households, including dealing with abusive employers, inconsiderate children and relatives, and challenging working conditions. Other experiences involved working in an unfriendly environment, carrying out difficult tasks, facing heavy workloads, experiencing occupational health difficulties, enduring physical abuse, inadequate rest, food deprivation, sexual advances, and false allegations. Consequently, providing legal protection for domestic workers in Saudi Arabia is crucial. Although progress has been made in addressing legal gaps, particularly regarding weekly rest days, more work remains. This includes implementing or expanding minimum wages and aligning working hour restrictions with those applicable to other workers. It is therefore recommended that Uganda and Saudi Arabia revise labour export laws to ensure that the rights of migrant domestic workers are respected.

John Paul II and Benedict XVI’s concern for the protection of the faithful against the most serious crimes, with particular emphasis on the sexual abuse of minors committed by clergy

The problem of dealing justly and efficiently with the most serious crimes in the Church after the promulgation of the Code of Canon Law in 1983 became the concern of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later Benedict XVI, and John Paul II. Their cooperation and the decisions of Benedict XVI, as a continuation of the path started, laid the foundations for the creation of a system of canonical criminal law capable of responding properly and effectively to the most serious crimes committed by the faithful in the Church. The introduction of a clear scope of competence for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the definition of a longer limitation period, the possibility of revoking it, the centralization of procedural steps, entrusting them to qualified personnel, enabling the control of the action of individual superiors are very concrete legal solutions that confirm the teaching of the Church and the definite statements of the two Popes on the protection of the most vulnerable in the Church from the immense harm of sexual abuse that some clerics could commit against them. The article presents and discusses concrete legal solutions and relates them with the teachings and attitudes of the two popes towards protecting minors in the Church. It is an attempt to argue for the defense of their good names and to oppose the unfounded accusations made against these two authorities.

False claims of equivalence in the neurosurgical trauma literature: prevalence and associated factors—a systematic review protocol

IntroductionResearch quality within the neurosurgical field remains suboptimal. Therefore, many studies published in the neurosurgical literature lack enough statistical power to establish the presence or absence of clinically important differences...

Випадки порушення гарантій незалежності суддів з боку правоохоронних органів та фізичних осіб

The European Charter on the Statute for Judges establishes the “right to appeal” for every judge if he/she believes that there is a threat to his/her independence or the independence of the legal process, or if this independence is somehow violated, and in such a case, he/she can refer the matter to an independent body. This means that judges are not left defenseless in cases of encroachments on their independence. The right to appeal is a necessary guarantee, otherwise, it would remain merely a desire to establish principles aimed at protecting judges if they are not consistently supported by mechanisms that will ensure their effective implementation. The obligation to obtain a proposal or opinion from an independent body before a decision is made regarding the status of a particular judge does not necessarily extend to all possible situations in which his or her independence might be influenced. That is why it is extremely important to ensure that judges have the opportunity to turn to this body on their own initiative. In 2022, the High Council of Justice received 128 reports of interference in the professional activities of judges regarding the administration of justice, actions that violate the guarantees of judges’ independence, or undermine the authority of justice. In particular, 114 reports were received from judges of local courts, 7 from judges of appellate courts, 3 from judges of the Supreme Court and the High Anti-Corruption Court, and 1 report from the Territorial Department of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine. The largest number of reports from judges about interference in the activity of judges regarding the administration of justice was received in February 2022 (34 reports), and the least in March 2022 (3 reports). Judges primarily associated the interference in their activities as judges in the administration of justice with the judicial cases they were handling. The most common reasons for reporting interference in the judges’ administration of justice in 2022 were extrajudicial appeals to law enforcement agencies with complaints about judges committing criminal offenses and initiating criminal proceedings against judges – 18 cases; unfounded recusals – 15 cases; improper conduct (baseless accusations against a judge, threats, instructions on procedural actions and making certain judicial decisions, threats of filing complaints about criminal offenses) – 15 cases, among others. It’s important to note that the High Council of Justice is aware of cases where “interference” was associated with the inactivity of law enforcement officials. The High Council of Justice believes that the inactivity of law enforcement representatives poses a direct threat to the independence of judges and the authority of justice. In light of this, the High Council of Justice submits appropriate proposals for the identification and accountability of such individuals in accordance with current legislation. Academic articles emphasize that “interference” can manifest as threats and as extrajudicial appeals by law enforcement officials. However, the High Council of Justice does not consider threats to file disciplinary complaints against a judge’s behavior as “interference”. The majority of the High Council of Justice’s decisions on taking measures to ensure the independence of judges and the authority of justice in 2020 were mainly related to: judges’ security; threats of physical harm; attacks on judges; violations of order in court sessions; blockages of courts. According to the High Council of Justice’s annual report for 2020 “On the State of Ensuring the Independence of Judges in Ukraine”, the highest number of reports from judges about interference in their activity in 2020 related to interference by citizens and their associations. The High Council of Justice considers this situation to be traditional, as confirmed by statistical data from previous years. It’s worth noting that when reviewing reports from judges about interference in their judicial activities, there are increasingly cases that are not directly related to interference in their activities. However, such reports from judges indicate that there is a significant undermining of the authority of justice. Given this, such reports from judges require the High Council of Justice to take appropriate responsive measures.

Students' Mathematical Argumentation with the Visualizer Cognitive Style in Proving the Congruence of Triangles

The use of axiomatic deductiveism, perception problems, mathematical visual representations and how students convey arguments as a bridge in proving geometric problems are obstacles that are often faced by students. This research aims to describe how prospective mathematics teacher students who have a visualiser cognitive style convey their mathematical arguments in explaining proofs related to triangle congruence. The subjects of this research were selected from students who have a visualizer cognitive style who had previously been given a cognitive style questionnaire. The research subjects consisted of 3 subjects, each with high (S1), medium (S2) and low (S3) mathematics abilities. Data were analyzed using Toulmin argumentation components. The research results show that S1 provides proof based on correct claims, providing fairly complete data both from the question statement and additional data resulting from the subject's reasoning which is used to decide on the claim. The subject uses several warrants and is supported by logical backing to connect the data with the claim. For S2 and S3 to provide final answers or false claims, they have incomplete data as a basis for deciding claims because the subject is mistaken in representing the image and is deep in mathematical literacy related to errors in describing the visualization in the image.

The Métis Nation, Epistemic Injustice, and Self-Indigenization

This paper considers epistemic dimensions of injustices associated with settlers self-indigenization through false claims to being Métis. First, we provide an analytic characterization of the act of self-indigenization. Afterwards we spell out how confusions surrounding the meaning of the term ‘Métis’ generate lacunae in the social imagination of the dominant society in Canada. These lacunae make it more difficult for Métis people to explain to the dominant society why claims based on self-identification alone are inadequate bases upon which to claim to be Métis. Finally, we highlighting steps taken by the Métis Nation to assert their identity through citizenship registries.

The Truth and the Pain: A Reading of Edouard Kayihura’s <i>Inside the Hotel Rwanda</i> and Marie Béatrice Umutesi’s <i>Surviving the Slaughter</i>

Literary realism focuses on everyday people, issues, characters, settings and situations that are real. Some writers engage realism to document their real-life experiences. The readers as well tend to gain access to real life events as vivid as the writers can recollect them. Fictitious approaches are avoided completely in these narrations. This is done to ensure that the readers can identify with the stories being narrated. Hence, the 1994 genocide has been the major focus of contemporary Rwanda prose narratives. They project the experiences of the people before, during and after the genocide. Also, some authors document their experiences as suggested by their therapists, because it usually helps as one of the coping mechanisms for trauma. This study delves into the analysis of two post-genocide prose narratives. It adopts the use of postcolonial and trauma theories as the tools for conceptualizing, understanding and interpretation of these prose narratives. Marie Béatrice Umutesi’s <i>Surviving the Slaughter: The ordeal of a Rwandan Refugee in Zaire </i>and Edouard Kayihura’s<i> Inside the Hotel Rwanda: The Surprising True Story and Why It Matters Today </i>are autobiographies, they depict the causes of the genocide, the outcomes, specifically on the victims and hopefully the solutions. Edouard Kayihura suffers harrowing experiences of perpetual fear, oppression and extortion inside the Hotel des Mille Collines, this is his own truth, debunking the inaccuracies of the movie Hotel Rwanda. While, Marie Béatrice Umutesi, a Hutu woman witnesses and experiences inexplicable brutality and hardship. She endures the pains as she journeys towards safety. This study interrogates the contributions of political hegemony and identity crises to varying degrees of trauma and explains that the experiences and pains of these writers are factual. It also establishes that these prose narratives serve dual purposes of correcting a false claim and projecting the pain of a Hutu woman, a unique diversion from the popular focus on the Tutsis.

Health Care Fraud and Abuse: Lessons From One of the Largest Scandals of the 21st Century in the Field of Spine Surgery.

Up to hundreds of billions of dollars are annually lost to fraud and abuse in the US health care, making it a significant burden on the system. This study investigates a specific instance of health care fraud in spine surgery, in which a medical device company ended up paying $75 million to settle violations of the False Claims Act. We review the surgical background regarding the kyphoplasty procedure, as well as its billing and reimbursement details. We also explore the official legal complaint brought by the US Department of Justice to tell the story of how one of the most significant medical innovations in spine surgery in the 21st century turned into a widespread fraudulent marketing scheme. In the sequence, we provide a detailed root cause analysis of this scandal and propose some proactive measures that can be taken to avoid such type of unfortunate events. Ultimately, this historical health care scandal constitutes a valuable lesson to surgeons, health care administrators, medical device companies, and policymakers on how misaligned incentives and subsequent unscrupulous practices can transform a medical innovation into an unfortunate tale of fraud and deceit.

The Darakbang Heresy? Measures, Gauges and Measurements of Heretical Doctrine: Heretics and Accusers are Equally Evil

This article ensures and emphasises that a doctrine's standard, authoritative gauge and objective measurement is heresy. This purpose is motivated by the serious danger of false doctrine and accusations. False doctrine and false accusation are evil and should not be tolerated. This is contrary to the teachings of the Bible. The first and foremost step is to conduct scientific research. This research uses a case study method, namely the accusations of heresy against several Christian religious colleges in Indonesia for collaborating with Darakbang in South Korea. Based on this case study method, it was found that there is no heresy in them based on standardised measures. No authorised institution can legally declare someone or some other institution heretical. The accusers not only do not have and use the standard biblical measure of universal doctrine but also do not have authority as a measure authorised to declare heresy. In addition, none of the writings and accusations were found to be based on scientific measurements (studies). This finding is important as a recommendation for academics to distinguish between false teachings and false accusations so that academics do not become ignorant, evil people who mislead or accuse heretics unscientifically.

Mudraj Hadith and Its Relationship with the Art of Hadith Text Criticism

This study aims to explain the relationship between determining mudraj (interpolated), which is one of the types of weak hadith, and the art of critiquing hadith texts, which is included in one of the processes of assessing the status of hadith or also referred to as hadith criticism. Based on the authors’ observations, there has never been a connection between determining the mudraj of the text and text criticism in specific studies. The authors employ library research methods and text analysis to identify the approach used by hadith scholars in determining idrāj and mudraj expressions, evaluating the discussed examples, and their relationship with the art of text or matan (text/content) criticism. The study results indicate that the art of critiquing hadith texts has long been rooted in the discussions of hadith science and is highly objective without being influenced by any ideology or thought. At the same time, it can refute baseless accusations that hadith scholars have neglected textual aspects and only focused on the isnad aspect alone.

Subverting the Dominant Culture: Eugenic Discourse in This Other Eden by Paul Harding

Paul Harding in his latest novel delves into the true and tragic story of Malaga Island, a small island located off the shores of Maine. It is historically important for the United States since it became the symbol of racism and eugenics. The government was urged by eugenicists to promote the sterilization of certain people with mental and physical disabilities. Although the aim was to improve the hereditary characteristics of the human population to have a more developed society, basic human rights were violated, and history witnessed atrocities and the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. Paul Harding in his novel, This Other Eden deals with the eugenic era in history. Despite living in harmony on an island with a unique racial integration, the characters are evicted and institutionalized under false claims. This study investigates the novel This Other Eden and how the eugenic discourse is employed in the novel. The study aims to explore certain ways in which the novel addresses ideas related to eugenics. This approach involves the examination of characters and thematic elements that involves eugenic concepts. By referring to the eugenics-related ideas and practices, this study explores how Paul Harding reflects eugenics in his latest novel.

Rumor has it: CEO gender and response to organizational denials.

The ambiguous credibility of online allegations can pose a significant threat to an organization's reputation, relationships with stakeholders, and future performance. As a result, addressing false or misleading allegations has emerged as an important priority among corporate executives. In this research, we examine how CEO gender influences the effectiveness of different types of denial responses in the wake of rumor crises. We find that, after reading damaging allegations about an organization, consumers react more favorably to denials issued by male versus female CEOs. We argue that this is attributable to the dominance that characterizes denial responses, which results in a greater (negative) expectancy violation for female (vs. male) CEOs issuing such statements. Such violations result in lower trust in, and less willingness to do business with, organizations led by women (vs. men) who issue a denial response. We show that these relationships are moderated by increased prescriptive agency (i.e., clarified denials) and the attribution of the response (i.e., to the CEO vs. organization). Taken together, our findings have implications for theory on agentic characteristics, crisis communication, and female leadership, as well as practical implications for how all organizations can adopt more effective crisis responses. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Brain Function and Marijuana: Are there Changes after Abstinence of Consumption? Preliminary Results.

The legalization of cannabis use and false claims about the plant Cannabis sativa to be considered a pharmaceutical product have been found to increase consumption, lower risk perception, and lead to more health problems, without reducing criminal activity. Brain function, typically assessed by neuropsychological tests, shows abnormalities with acute marijuana use, but inconsistent results have been published after abstinence, with a maximum follow-up of 28 days. Our previous research, using neuropsychological tests and brain perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (neuroSPECT), demonstrated consistent abnormalities in brain function among schoolchildren who consume marijuana compared to their non-consuming peers. The aim of this study is to investigate whether brain function changes in 20 adult marijuana users after 6 months of abstinence. Comparison of neuropsychological tests (Rey Complex Figure; Porteus Maze; Four subtests of WAIS-IV Intellectual Tests; STROOP; D2) and perfusion neuroSPECT (functional images), obtained in relation to recent consumption and after 6 months of serial drug-screening test confirmed abstinence. In a one-year period (2020-2021) only five compliant participants were recruited. The COVID-19 pandemic was a limiting factor. Preliminary results of neuropsychological tests, functional brain perfusion images and limited statistical analysis are presented. The results of the neuropsychological tests of the three subjects who completed the abstinence period so far show some improvement in working memory and attention after abstinence. NeuroSPECT shows disorganized hypoperfusion of variable severity in relation to recent consumption, involving areas associated with cognitive function such as the posterior cingulate and temporal lobes, in our five initially enrolled patients, when compared to a normal database. Of these, only two participants have already been re-evaluated with neuroSPECT after 6 months of abstinence, one of whom showed some improvement on the post-abstinence images. We analyze the methodological challenges of this research, including the pandemic, to incorporate the appropriate corrections in the next phase of our investigation. Our final findings may provide clinicians and users with information about the long-term effects of marijuana use on brain function.

Deciphering Words on Clothing in Al-Ṣaḥīḥayn for Answering Misconception on Forbidden Colours for Men in “Clothing and Colours in Early Islam” by Hadas Hirsch

The discourse regarding clothing in Islam regularly emphasizes on divine dress code differentiates between the permissible and the forbidden, as enshrined in Islamic scripture. Possibly, a misconception could prevail within attempts by outsiders of the fraternity of scripture studies. For instance, there is a claim in an English paper “Clothing and Colours in Early Islam: Adornment (Aesthetics), Symbolism and Differentiation” by Hadas Hirsch states that Muslim men are forbidden from wearing yellow, red and colourful clothes. To answer the misconception, this study focuses on hadiths in the chapters on clothing in al-Ṣaḥīḥayn. This study employs a qualitative methodology through content analysis on the paper and contextual analysis on the culled chapters. Ultimately, this study identifies the argument presented by Hirsch and then finds narrations on the mentioned colours for men in the culled chapters. Based on the narrations, these colours are allowed for men since they are not performing pilgrimage ritual and their red dress are not of safflower-based dye. Indeed, the false claim lies in dependence on insufficient texts besides the hindrance in construing archaic words in text of hadith. Hereby, this study stresses on the conveying of teaching from hadith into other languages, especially English should be made by its scholarly fraternity in hadith which can reveal sufficient array of narrations for each topic. In addition, the text which has its Arabic language root back to over fourteen centuries is understandable in the hands of scholars in the field of hadith and Islamic scripture.

Toward a Healthier Future: Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenging time—many people got sick and even died, most people had to stay home from school and work, and fun things like going to the movies, traveling, and visiting friends and family were discouraged. However, the pandemic also taught us some key lessons. We learned that it is important for scientists and doctors to work together closely to understand health threats. Collaboration led to fast production of a safe, effective, COVID-19 vaccine. We learned that diseases can quickly spread all over the world, which taught us about the need for global cooperation and equal access to vaccination and other health services. The pandemic also showed us how critical it is to understand health information, so that we can tell accurate information apart from false claims. These lessons will shape our future, hopefully leading to even greater advances in science and healthcare that will create a healthier world.

The Problems of Performing Piety in some Exeter Dissenting Sermons c.1660–1745

This article explores the theme of hypocrisy in a multi-volume collection of hitherto unstudied manuscript sermons by Exeter Dissenting ministers from the Restoration to the mid-eighteenth century, held by the Devon and Exeter Institution. In these sermons, the theme of hypocrisy is addressed in a variety of senses and contexts, including the imposition by conformists of forms of worship not required by Scripture; the false accusations of hypocrisy made against Dissenters; the insincere performance of piety; the tendency of sinners to justify vice as virtue and virtue as vice; and the incompatibility of persecution with true New Testament Christianity. These sermons trace a move from Reformed orthodoxy towards rational Dissent, with a soteriology that increasingly makes moral performance a condition of final salvation. The possibility of insincere performance of piety and virtue by hypocrites may have created increased anxiety in a context in which soteriology and ethics were increasingly entangled.

Justifying an Invasion: When Is Disinformation Successful?

ABSTRACT Conventional wisdom suggests that social media, especially when used by authoritarian powers with nefarious aims, leaves citizens of democratic countries vulnerable to psychological influence campaigns. But such concerns overlook predispositions among recipients of false claims to reject (or to endorse) conspiratorial narratives. Analyzing responses from a survey fielded in 19 countries, we find that it is a preexisting conspiracy outlook at the individual level, more so than media diets, which consistently predicts rating Russia’s pretenses for the invasion as more accurate. In all countries, individuals who view the world in general with a conspiratorial mindset are more likely to believe war-related disinformation. Receiving news via YouTube, Facebook, or TikTok is also associated with greater belief in Russian narratives justifying the invasion in several countries, but these relationships are weaker compared to those observed for conspiracy thinking. Without downplaying a potential positive role for media interventions, the findings highlight the importance of a deeper understanding of the underlying causes of conspiratorial thinking.