Theme Issue Research Articles

Urban In/Formalities: How Arrival Infrastructures Shape Newcomers’ Access To Resources

<p>In recent years, scholars in migration, urban studies and urban planning have increasingly focused on the diversity of arrival processes experienced by international newcomers and the variety of spatial settings they involve. Current research on arrival infrastructures focuses on both place-based opportunity structures and newcomers’ agency in shaping arrival processes, illustrating the interconnectedness of formal and informal infrastructures. Arrival infrastructuring can be understood as a mediating process that connects individuals and their social, economic, and cultural capital to places and societal resources. The concept of ‘in/formality,’ which addresses the formal-informal nexus as a continuum rather than in binary terms, offers a valuable yet underexplored perspective to analyse arrival processes and actors involved, including the state, market, and old and new residents. Through the lens of in/formality, this thematic issue aims to explore the practices, negotiations, and interconnections among different (migrant and non-migrant) actors involved in arrival infrastructuring. The contributions highlight four recurring ways in which the interplay between informal and formal practices manifests: unusual alliances, brokering, boundary spanning, and structured workarounds.</p>

After Progress Perhaps Another Education is Possible: We Can Be Pagans for More Than One Day!

This paper attempts to bring together a series of ideas/concepts from the work of Isabelle Stengers, Didier Debaise, Jean-Francois Lyotard, Anna Tsing and others in order to apply them to the notion ‘after progress,’ which has some bearing on the theme of this special issue on degrowth. As Savransky and Lundy (2022) argue, ‘the notion of “progress” is arguably the defining idea of modernity’. Whilst this idea of progress has been the object of criticism, its prevalence is still pervasive. But what would living after progress or following a degrowth agenda look like, particularly within contexts of educational policy and practice? After progress perhaps another education is possible. The paper takes on board this suggestion, and rather than viewing education in schools and elsewhere in terms of its current concerns in the West with individual achievement, competition, and standards, we see it as promoting diversity, conviviality, working, thinking, agreeing and disagreeing in common.

Disconnectivity in a Changing Media and Political Landscape: A Multi-Contextual and Interdisciplinary Lens

This thematic issue examines disconnectivity in a world where connectivity is often assumed to be the norm. Drawing on multiple areas of research, such as political unfriending, digital disconnection, migration studies, and media censorship, it delves into the complexities of disconnectivity, moving beyond its framing as voluntary choice and individual practice. Collectively, studies in this issue highlight disconnection as a compelled act for self-protection and a collective strategy to tackle systemic problems. By examining enforced and coerced disconnection, they also reveal disconnection’s dual role as control and resistance. Through a multi-contextual and interdisciplinary lens, this issue challenges the normative assumptions implicit in our current understandings of disconnection, and, in doing so, advances the field.

Editorial: Fact-Checkers Around the World—Regional, Comparative, and Institutional Perspectives

This thematic issue explores the global fact-checking field, focusing on its organizations, practices, and institutional dynamics. Over the past decade, fact-checking has expanded to over 400 organizations, with approximately half operating in the Global South. Fact-checkers have built a solid institutional framework featuring annual conferences, regulatory bodies, and partnerships with big techs and public organizations. Even with this cohesion, the fact-checking movement remains deeply heterogeneous. Organizations range from small local outlets to global media giants, operating within varied media and political systems. These differences shape how fact-checkers define their mission and approach misinformation, and offer a valuable lens for journalism and political communication studies to analyze evolving media systems and digitalization effects worldwide. Given such diversity, our issue addresses the need for research to observe regional and comparative perspectives on fact-checking alongside studies of broader global trends. Recent scholarship has focused on how fact-checkers adapt to diverse environments, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and how the field is evolving. It also examines fact-checkers’ relationships with platform companies, policymakers, and transnational institutions combating misinformation. Contributions employing diverse methodologies, from case studies to large-scale content analyses, are included, with a particular emphasis on understanding organizational and contextual specificities in this crucial area of media and political communication.

Spike Jonze Meets Shakespeare – Artificial Intelligence and Posthumanism

The hereby study aims to answer several questions regarding the impact Artificial Intelligence has had on our lives and on our art, especially on the performing arts, and particularly on theatre and cinema. In order to gauge and assess the importance of AI, both as a means of creating works of art and as a theme they trackle, I draw a parallel between Spike Jonze’s film, “Her” (2013), and Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2016 production of “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare, directed by Gregory Doran. While this particular production of Shakespeare’s play is a high-quality illustration of how Artificial Intelligence can enhance a theatre performance, in Spike Jonze’s film one can find AI as a theme, character and social issue. Besides being a state-of-the-art work, “Her” raises a question rarely addressed without bias, bigotry or militantism: a human’s warmth or a machine’s intelligence? Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of “The Tempest” answers: ’Both’. Director Gregory Doran worked with Imaginarium and Intel to create scenes where actors and holograms interact in a three-dimensional immersive experience, a feat which could not have been achieved without Artificial Intelligence. The hereby essay also tries to answer other questions, such as: Does the use of AI technology improve the spectator’s aesthetic experience, or is it rather an encumbering factor? And if so, why? Are we heading towards the posthuman age? And last, but not least, what implications does the increasing use of AI in the performing arts have from an anthropological and sociological point of view?

The Decline of Economic and Political Freedom After Covid‐19: A New Authoritarian Dawn?

The response to Covid-19 in both democratic countries (adopting tactics of totalitarian nations) and autocracies (ignoring the scope of the problem) posed a grave threat to life and liberty. Are we slouching towards a new authoritarian dawn? Or was the pandemic response an aberration that has corrected itself already? There are no easy answers to these questions but it is apparent that the pandemic was an inflection point for both the West and rogue nations around the world. This editorial gives an overview of the key points surrounding the democratic backsliding globally as a result of the pandemic and introduces the articles in this thematic issue.

Dual-frequency electromagnetic sounding of a Triton ocean from a single flyby.

Triton, the largest satellite of Neptune, is in a retrograde orbit and is likely a captured Kuiper Belt Object (KBO). Triton has a mean density of only 2.061 gm/cm3 and is therefore believed to have a 250-400 km thick hydrosphere. Triton is also one of the few planetary satellites to possess a thick ionosphere whose height-integrated Pedersen conductivity exceeds 104 S, complicating the sounding of Triton's subsurface using electromagnetic induction. Triton experiences a time-varying magnetic field dominated by two periods, one at 14.4 h, at the synodic rotation period of Neptune (from Neptune's tilted field) and one at 141 h, at the orbital period of Triton (from large inclination of Triton's orbit). We show that for most models of ionospheric conductivity, the 14.4 h wave creates a large response from the ionosphere itself and is unable to sound the putative ocean below. However, the 141 h wave penetrates the ionosphere easily and provides information on Triton's ocean. We introduce a technique that allows us to determine the complex magnetic moments generated at the two key periods from the magnetic data from a single flyby, allowing us to infer the presence of a subsurface ocean.This article is part of the theme issue 'Magnetometric remote sensing of Earth and planetary oceans'.

Harnessing electromagnetic data for tsunami source estimation: a comprehensive review.

Ocean-bottom pressure gauges are widely used for tsunami observations due to their established accuracy and stability. Recent advancements reveal that the magnetic field fluctuates when a large tsunami passes over the ocean, suggesting potential alternatives to pressure gauges in the form of ocean-bottom electromagnetometers (OBEMs). This article offers a comprehensive synthesis of recent findings concerning tsunami magnetic fields and their utility in tsunami source estimation. In addition, we scrutinize the effectiveness of tsunami observations employing OBEMs. Despite the promise of electromagnetometers, it is worth noting that the background noise inherent in electromagnetic observations tends to be approximately 10 times greater than that of pressure observations within the critical tsunami frequency bands. The Earth's magnetic field sporadically disrupts tsunami magnetic fields, presenting a potential limitation to the utility of electromagnetometers in tsunami detection when compared with pressure gauges. Nevertheless, our investigation underscores the potential of electromagnetic observations in detecting tsunamis propagating over the ocean at magnitudes of a few centimetres. An invaluable advantage of electromagnetometers over pressure monitoring lies in their capability to observe tsunami velocity fields, suggesting a promising avenue for further research and development in tsunami observation technology.This article is part of the theme issue 'Magnetometric remote sensing of Earth and planetary oceans'.

Properties of tsunami-generated electromagnetic variation observed on islands.

Electrically conductive seawater, moving in an ambient magnetic field, generates electromagnetic (EM) variations. Tsunamis are significant contributors to this phenomenon, inducing observable electric and magnetic fluctuations at seafloor and coastal observatories. While understanding of these occurrences in open oceans is robust, knowledge regarding their observation on islands remains limited. This article seeks, through the use of numerical experimentation, to enhance our understanding of tsunami-generated EM (TGEM) variations observed on islands. Utilizing simulations involving conical islands, we identify three key insights regarding EM intensity normalized by the height of incident tsunamis: (i) increased ocean depth surrounding the island amplifies tsunami EM signals, particularly for periods shorter than 20 min; (ii) magnetic field strength at the island is approximately comparable to that observed at the seafloor in the absence of the island when the island radius is smaller than 6 km; and (iii) electric field intensity at the island notably surpasses that observed at the seafloor, especially with smaller island radii ([Formula: see text] 6 km). Additionally, we establish that employing the ratio of island radius to tsunami wavelength near the island coast facilitates the derivation of empirical functions for this phenomenon.This article is part of the theme issue 'Magnetometric remote sensing of Earth and planetary oceans'.

On detecting and characterizing planetary oceans in the solar system using a distance-based ensemble modelling approach: application to the Uranus system.

The discovery of Europa's subsurface ocean has spawned a strong desire by the planetary community to return and assess the ocean's habitability using the magnetic induction signal that Europa generates. NASA has since formulated and developed the Europa Clipper mission with that same goal, anticipating its arrival in the Jovian system in the early 2030s. In parallel, ESA has developed the JUpiter Icy moons Explorer mission to further investigate the interior of Ganymede and other Jovian moons, scheduled to arrive approximately one year later. As a result, extensive work has now been devoted to developing and refining methods to analyse magnetic induction measurements with the goal of characterizing oceans within icy moons, including those in the Neptune and Uranus systems, which are ideal laboratories for such investigations. We present one such method, involving a distance-based inverse and forward modelling approach that leverages self-consistent interior models used to infer ocean and ice-shell properties of various moons that respond inductively to the dynamic magnetic environments in which they reside. We demonstrate the method on a hypothetical ocean within Umbriel, showing the ocean thickness and conductivity constraints that can be inferred from a Monte Carlo error analysis using a three-flyby mission concept.This article is part of the theme issue 'Magnetometric remote sensing of Earth and planetary oceans'.

Sensitivity of M2tidal magnetic signals to seasonal and spatial variations of ocean electric conductivity

Electrical conductivity of the Earth’s oceans is an important oceanographic parameter related through its dependence on temperature and salinity to the state of the ocean. The tidally induced magnetic field then provides a directly and globally observable physical variable affected by the ocean conductivity spatial and temporal distribution. This contribution addresses two topics of the impact of the ocean conductivity variations on the principal lunar semi-diurnal magnetic signals. First, using high-resolution forward modelling, we investigate the sensitivity of the magnetic field to seasonal conductivity variations. Here, we find that the differences between magnetic signatures calculated for individual monthly conductivity climatologies are small, and localized to the marginal seas of the global ocean. Second, we formulate an inverse method to provide a constraint for the ocean conductivity in the upper 1000 m of the ocean, and test it using a synthetic dataset, demonstrating a proof-of-concept for such an approach.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Magnetometric remote sensing of Earth and planetary oceans’.

Physical oceanographic factors controlling the ocean circulation-induced magnetic field.

Oceanic tidal constituents and depth-integrated electrical conductivity (ocean conductivity content, or OCC) extracted from electromagnetic (EM) field data are known to have a strong potential for monitoring ocean heat content, which reflects the Earth's energy imbalance. In comparison to ocean tide models, realistic ocean general circulation models have a greater need to be baroclinic; therefore, both OCC and depth-integrated conductivity-weighted velocity ([Formula: see text]) data are required to calculate the ocean circulation-induced magnetic field (OCIMF). Owing to a lack of [Formula: see text] observations, we calculate the OCIMF using an ocean state estimate. There are significant trends in the OCIMF primarily owing to responses in the velocities to external forcings and the warming influence on OCC between 1993 and 2017, particularly in the Southern Ocean. Despite being depth-integrated quantities, OCC and [Formula: see text] (which primarily determine the OCIMF in an idealized EM model) can provide a strong constraint on the baroclinic velocities and ocean mixing parameters when assimilated into an ocean state estimation framework. A hypothetical fleet of full-depth EM-capable floats would therefore help improve the accuracy of the OCIMF computed with an ocean state estimate, which could potentially provide valuable guidance on how to extract the OCIMF from satellite magnetometry observations.This article is part of the theme issue 'Magnetometric remote sensing of Earth and planetary oceans'.

Magnetic signals from oceanic tides: new satellite observations and applications.

The tidal flow of seawater across the Earth's magnetic field induces electric currents and magnetic fields within the ocean and solid Earth. The amplitude and phase of the induced fields depend on the electrical properties of both seawater and the solid Earth, and thus can be used as proxies to study the seabed properties or potentially for monitoring long-term trends in the global ocean climatology. This article presents new global oceanic tidal magnetic field models and their uncertainties for four tidal constituents, including [Formula: see text] and even [Formula: see text], which was not reliably retrieved previously. Models are obtained through a robust least-squares analysis of magnetic field observations from the Swarm and CHAMP satellites using a specially designed data selection scheme. We compare the retrieved magnetic signals with several alternative models reported in the literature. Additionally, we validate them using a series of high-resolution global three-dimensional (3D) electromagnetic simulations and place constraints on the conductivity of the sub-oceanic mantle for all tidal constituents, revealing an excellent agreement between all tidal constituents and the oceanic upper mantle structure.This article is part of the theme issue 'Magnetometric remote sensing of Earth and planetary oceans'.

Oceanic and ionospheric tidal magnetic fields extracted from global geomagnetic observatory data.

Ocean tide generated magnetic fields contain information about changes in ocean heat content and transport that can potentially be retrieved from remotely sensed magnetic data. To provide an important baseline towards developing this potential, tidal signals are extracted from 288 land geomagnetic observatory records having observations within the 50-year time span 1965-2015. The extraction method uses robust iteratively reweighted least squares for a range of models using different predictant and predictor assumptions. The predictants are the time series of the three vector components at each observatory, with versional variations in data selection and processing. The predictors fall into two categories: one using time-harmonic bases and the other that directly use lunar and solar ephemerides with gravitational theory to describe the tidal forces. The ephemerides predictors are shown to perform better (fitting more variance with fewer predictors) than do the time-harmonic predictors, which include the traditional 'Chapman-Miller method'. In fitting the oceanic lunar tidal signals, the predictants with the highest signal/noise involve the 'vertical' magnetic vector component following principle-component rotation. The best simple semidiurnal predictor is the ephemeris series of lunar azimuth weighted by the inverse-cubed lunar distance. More variance is fitted with predictors representing the lunar tidal potential and gradients calculated for each location/time.This article is part of the theme issue 'Magnetometric remote sensing of Earth and planetary oceans'.

Intro] Standards and Their Containers: Introduction to the Thematic Issue on Histories of Microbial Pathogens from the Colonial to the Postcolonial Eras

Standards and infrastructures have become ubiquitous objects of study in STS. They are critical to the global work of microbiology. However, the role of early twentieth-century colonial, military, and capitalist expansion in the production of these infrastructures is underappreciated. Further, the role of microbial “resistance” in shaping and changing the global microbiological order needs better elucidation. This requires connecting the technical work done in laboratories across the world with the global processes that have shaped much of the twentieth century. The articles in this thematic collection cast light on neglected temporal and geographic areas of human-microbial interactions, explore new ways of (re)reading historical sources to reveal (post)colonial distortions of scientific practice and acts of resistance, and underline the need to trace microbes and associated biomedical interventions not only within laboratories, but also within wider human and non-human environments.

The Long History of Using History of Science to Enliven and Inform Teaching and Learning in Biology

This article introduces and contextualizes the content of this theme issue of The American Biology Teacher (ABT), which focuses on integrating elements of the history of science (HOS) in biology instruction. Such orientations can enhance students’ understanding of core biological concepts and the process of scientific discovery by associating them with appropriate historical narratives. This article introduces the range of ideas offered by a variety of authors regarding how to teach aspects of the history of science, most of which use the case study approach. The second purpose is to provide a research-based background in support of a history of science (HOS) teaching orientation with rationales for its inclusion in the curriculum. Therefor readers will find personal insights and a review of the use of historical techniques in biology instruction including discussion of seminal contributions such as the Harvard Case Studies in Experimental Science from HOS proponent James B. Conant and Leo Klopfer’s adaptation of this approach for high school classrooms with the History of Science Cases (HOSC). The review continues with discussion of rationales for the inclusion of HOS approaches and a typology of such approaches. Throughout the article posits that even a modest incorporation of historical context into instruction can significantly enrich the educational experience, helping students gain a more profound appreciation of biology and the nature of scientific inquiry, ultimately making instruction more impactful and meaningful.

Reimagining Urban Spaces for Children: Insights and Future Directions

Despite decades of international efforts, children remain overlooked in urban planning, which predominantly caters to adults. This editorial introduces a thematic issue of <em>Urban Planning</em> that compiles 13 articles exploring how cities can be redesigned to better serve children’s needs and rights. The collection covers a range of critical themes, including children’s mobility and the constraints imposed by car-centric environments, the lack of accessible and inclusive play spaces, and the disconnection between children and nature exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The articles highlight barriers to children’s independent mobility, the importance of unstructured green and grey spaces, and the need for multigenerational public spaces. Additionally, they emphasize the role of children in environmental stewardship and urban wellbeing. We argue for a holistic, child-centred approach to urban planning, calling for greater integration of children’s voices in decision-making and the creation of urban environments that promote children’s well-being, mobility, and inclusion. The thematic issue provides a comprehensive framework for addressing the urgent need to reshape urban spaces for children, fostering more liveable, sustainable cities for all.

The productivity, participation, and recognition of women in academic radiology: Past, present, and future

Despite women's early involvement in and contributions to the field of radiology, such as Marie Curie's work in radiation physics and chemistry, women have long remained lacking in their representation among radiologists, including in academics. While many other medical specialties have gradually become more proportionate or even equalized in their gender distribution, radiology continues to exist as a predominately male specialty. In this special topics issue, we aim to explore the landscape of female representation in academic radiology over time, not only in number, but in research productivity, recognition and accolades, and grant and funding reception. We discuss the progress that has been made and factors that have influenced that progress, as well as the crucial role that women currently hold in the field of academic radiology.

On Atmospheric Turn in Social Sciences

The article introduces a special theme of the issue onthe “Anthropology of Affective Atmospheres”, featuring contributions by S.V. Sokolovskiy,D.A. Radchenko, S. Runkel, and an interview withT. Griffero.Readers of this thematic issue are acquainted with the new area of philosophical and socialresearch, which until now has practically not attracted the attentionof Russian anthropologists, despite the fact that the so-called “atmosphericturn” has deeply influenced quite a wide range of socialsciences and humanities, including anthropology. The main goal of thisissue of the journal is to familiarize Russian anthropologists andethnologists with theoretical and methodological foundations of (affective) atmospheres researchand specific case studies in this field. The main taskof this introduction to the topic is to review relevantconcepts, to recommend the most influential publications, the familiarity withwhich is expected to facilitate the introduction of these subjectsinto field ethnography programs, and to provide a brief overviewof the current “atmospheric” research in the country.

Preamble to the Thematic Issue “Porphyrazine, its Analogues, and their Metalcomplexes: Theoretical Consideration and Experimental Data” from Guest Editor

Preamble to the Thematic Issue “Porphyrazine, its Analogues, and their Metalcomplexes: Theoretical Consideration and Experimental Data” from Guest Editor