Level Of Polarisation Research Articles

Molecular line polarisation from the circumstellar envelopes of asymptotic giant branch stars

Context. Polarisation observations of masers in the circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) around asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars have revealed strong magnetic fields. However, masers probe only specific lines of sight through the CSE. Non-masing molecular line polarisation observations can more directly reveal the large-scale magnetic field morphology and hence probe the effect of the magnetic field on AGB mass loss and the shaping of the AGB wind. Aims. Observations and models of CSE molecular line polarisation can now be used to describe the magnetic field morphology and estimate its strength throughout the entire CSE. Methods. We used observations taken with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) of molecular line polarisation in the envelope of two AGB stars: CW Leo and R Leo. We modelled the observations using the multi-dimensional polarised radiative transfer tool PORTAL. Results. We found linearly polarised emission, with maximum fractional polarisation on the order of a few percent, in several molecular lines towards both stars. Towards R Leo, we also found a high level of linear polarisation (up to ∼35%) for one of the SiO v = 1 maser transitions. We can explain the observed differences in polarisation structure between the different molecular lines by alignment of the molecules through a combination of the Goldreich-Kylafis effect and radiative alignment effects. We specifically show that the polarisation of CO traces the morphology of the magnetic field. Competition between the alignment mechanisms allowed us to describe the behaviour of the magnetic field strength as a function of the radius throughout the circumstellar envelope of CW Leo. The magnetic field strength derived using this method is inconsistent with the magnetic field strength derived using a structure-function analysis of the CO polarisation and the strength previously derived using CN Zeeman observations. In contrast with CW Leo, the magnetic field in the outer envelope of R Leo appears to be advected outwards by the stellar wind. Conclusions. The ALMA observations and our polarised radiative transfer models show the power of using multiple molecular species to trace the magnetic field behaviour throughout the circumstellar envelope. While the observations appear to confirm the existence of a large-scale magnetic field, further observations and modelling are needed to understand the apparent inconsistency of the magnetic field strength derived with different methods in the envelope of CW Leo.

Assessment of the spatial disparities of the green economy in the voivodeships of Poland in 2010-2020

The development of a green economy in a situation of resource scarcity, global climate change, and environmental degradation means entering a new path of socio-economic development that will more effectively implement the goals of sustainable development. The level of its regional polarisation is stimulated by demographic, natural and technological, economic and social factors. The aim of the research was to identify and assess the level of regional polarisation in terms of the development of the green economy in voivodeships in Poland using a synthetic measure. The basis for the analysis was a set of substantively and statistically analysed diagnostic variables from 2010-2020 available in Statistics Poland. The result of the analysis was the presentation of regional polarisation and the ordering of voivodeships in Poland in 2010-2020 in terms of the synthetic measure - green economy. The green economy of voivodeships should be built based on available endogenous resources and planning and organisational solutions specific to the voivodeship. Using a synthetic measure to assess activities in the area of the green economy makes it possible to evaluate the effects and take corrective measures of the voivodeships' in this area.

Front and centre? Northern Irish electoral behaviour in the age of Brexit

ABSTRACT In post-conflict societies, traumatic experiences can have a profound effect on electoral behaviour. In Northern Ireland, Westminster elections between 2001 and 2017 were marked by the rise of hardline parties, but the 2019 election saw a significant shift towards the centre. The centre ground vote soared, resulting in the lowest level of political polarisation since the early 2000s. What are the factors underlying this transition to a moderate vote? Drawing on public opinion surveys and electoral data, we find that Brexit played a crucial role in incentivising voters to support parties prioritising non-sectarian constitutional interests. The findings suggest that voters employ party competition as a balancing mechanism. Our article contributes to the understanding of how individuals in post-conflict societies navigate the complex relationship between violence, politics, and peacebuilding.

German Legislators’ Conceptions of Democracy and Process Preferences: Results from a New Survey

ABSTRACT Democracy’s resilience arguably depends on political elites’ loyalty to the political system. How do elected representatives understand democracy and their own role in it? We present results of a survey conducted among German legislators in state parliaments and the Bundestag in 2022. We start by mapping the scope and content of consensus and dissent where principles of democracy and their institutionalisation are concerned and go on to hypothesise that congruence between one’s own conceptions of democracy and established institutions and practices is generally higher among established and government parties’ representatives but also dependent on ideological inclinations. Our results are overall reassuring, showing a relatively low level of polarisation in attitudes to democracy, and have implications for the study of political elites, for diagnoses of political polarisation in Germany and for the possibility and feasibility of institutional reform.

Two Journalistic Cultures in One Country. The Case of Hungary in the Light of Journalists’ Discourses on Fake News

ABSTRACT We argue that in Hungary—a country evincing a very high level of political polarisation and a very low level of public trust in the media—two media systems have emerged with two distinct journalistic cultures. The journalists of the state media system play a collaborative, while those of the market media system a monitorial role. Based on in-depth interviews with award-winning journalists and editors-in-chief, we explore how media professionals perceive the problem of fake news and suggest that fake news accusations have been instrumentalised as a discursive strategy to discredit the rival understanding of “good journalism.” According to our findings, journalists think that fake news stories, including disinformation campaigns serving Russian interests, are widespread in Hungary and make the voter unable to decide which of the competing media narratives is more accurate. Because of a high level of political polarisation and a low level of public trust in the media, the Hungarian case shows like a magnifying glass some of the problems associated with fake news. 1

Top incomes and income polarisation in China

Income polarisation is normally measured using household survey data, but such data often provide insufficient coverage of top incomes. This paper combines data from the Chinese Household Income Project and Top Incomes in China databases for 2002, 2013, and 2018 to study the trends in, reasons for, and heterogeneity of income polarisation in China between 2002 and 2018. Our main findings are as follows. (1) Introducing external top-income data increases the estimated level of polarisation in each of the three surveyed years, but polarisation trends are not affected. (2) Polarisation increases significantly between 2002 and 2013, due to a rise in polarisation among poor residents. Polarisation remains stable between 2013 and 2018, due to the expansion of the middle-income group; the convergence to the middle of the distribution is attributable mainly to the poor, rather than the rich. (3) In 2018, levels of polarisation are higher among male, well educated, and urban residents than among female, less educated, and rural residents, respectively.

Different Configurations of Radio-Frequency Atomic Magnetometers-A Comparative Study.

We comprehensively explore different optical configurations of a radio-frequency atomic magnetometer in the context of sensor miniaturisation. Similarities and differences in operation principles of the magnetometer arrangements are discussed. Through analysis of the radio-frequency and noise spectra, we demonstrate that all configurations provide the same level of atomic polarisation and signal-to-noise ratio, but the optimum performance is achieved for significantly different laser powers and frequencies. We conclude with possible strategies for system miniaturisation.

Road to Polarisation. Analysis of Swiss Party Programmes 2015-2019

The polarisation in the Swiss party system increased in the last three decades. Party competition led individual parties to find instruments to strengthen party unity at the national level. Because of the unification at the national level it is important to study election party programmes. The main goal of the article was to investigate in what respect have these changes affected party election programmes. We compared contemporary programmatic positions of relevant political parties in the Swiss lower house which succeeded with more than 4 % of votes in the 2015 parliamentary elections. The findings of our detailed content analysis of the party programmes in predetermined categories (A-E) pointed to a growing level of polarisation on the right-left axis. We argued that the election programmes reflect the level of polarisation. We succeeded to set the parties on the right-left axis. There is no party we located in the exact centre of the spectrum according to their programme. The left part of the scale is more polarised than the right, the Green party (GPS) is located on the very end of the left part of the right-left axis, the Social democratic party (SP) and the Green liberals (GLP) are on the moderate left. FDP, BDP and CVP are according our study located on the right part of the spectrum. SVP was located almost on the very end of the right part of the spectrum. Our research concludes that the level of polarisation of current Swiss party system is high.

Radio detection of chemically peculiar stars with LOFAR

Context. Chemically peculiar stars are upper main sequence stars that show anomalies in their optical spectra. These anomalies suggest peculiar chemical abundances of certain elements. Some chemically peculiar stars possess strong magnetic fields. Electrons originating from the ionising stellar wind travel in the magnetosphere of the star and become the source of non-thermal radio and X-ray emission. Several chemically peculiar radio stars have been detected at GHz frequencies. Aims. We used the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) to search for radio emission from chemically peculiar stars to constrain their emission in the frequency band 120–168 MHz. We aimed to use LOFAR observations to test the models for radio emission of chemically peculiar stars. Methods. We performed a targeted search of known chemically peculiar stars in the fields of the LOFAR Two Metre Survey (LoTSS) Data Release 2 in Stokes I and V. We matched positions of radio sources in the LoTSS-DR2 catalogue with positions of chemically peculiar stars. Results. We report non-thermal emission at 120–168 MHz from two chemically peculiar stars in Stokes I, BP Boo, and α2 CVn. The ensuing incidence rate at these frequencies is significantly lower than for higher frequencies. This results from the turnover at low frequencies which was predicted from the theory of radio emission from chemically peculiar stars. BP Boo is detected for the first time at radio wavelengths, while α2 CVn had already been detected at higher frequencies. The upper limit of V/I indicates a level of circular polarisation significantly below 60%. We combined data obtained at different frequencies to derive the radio spectrum of α2 CVn. The spectrum is nearly flat beyond turnover at low frequencies. We modelled radio emission for a large magnetosphere and small local magnetic field strength. The amplitude of variation in radio emission with the rotational phase of the system decreases at low frequencies.

Polarisation or just differences in opinion: How and why Facebook users disagree about Greta Thunberg

To what extent was Greta Thunberg a ‘polarizing figure’ on Facebook, in the period when she received the most extensive media attention? The paper analyses seven months of discussion concerning Thunberg and her message of intergenerational climate justice, using all relevant posts on public Facebook pages in Germany, Sweden, and the UK. We find that there are many similarities in the attitudes expressed and topics discussed on Facebook in the three countries; however, there are also some striking differences in the levels of polarisation. This comparative study provides evidence that the level of polarisation around these topics on Facebook is very low in Sweden and the UK, but high in Germany. In Germany, a group of political actors stand out as particularly polarising, and, in contrast to the other two countries, the topic of intergeneration justice, the core of Thunberg’s message, is almost absent from the German Facebook discourse. The study shows that Thunberg was not in general a polarising figure in the three European countries and that neither the affordances offered by the platform nor features of her person, message, or activism explain the observed polarisation around Thunberg on Facebook.

When Ideology Matters More – Science and Vaccine Scepticism in Light of Political Ideologies and Partisanship during the Third COVID-19 Wave in Hungary1

Abstract As for the mitigation of the negative consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and the related crisis, governments should inter alia facilitate the willingness to vaccinate. However, related discussions became politicised, especially in countries with an extremely high level of partisan polarisation in opinions and media discourses, like in Hungary, which is the selected case of our study. As previous research about the United States shows, general trust in science is also influenced by the ideological alignment of individuals – people with conservative identification are more likely to question scientific results and recommendations, considering global warming, or the characteristics of the pandemic and the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. In our study we examine two main questions: first, whether the ideological orientation and partisan alignment of Hungarian citizens influence their general trust in science, and second, whether the same factors influence their opinion on scientists’ ability to develop effective vaccines against the coronavirus. Furthermore, we also investigate whether media consumption habits might influence these interrelations. According to the results of the representative online survey, the more conservative someone in Hungary identifies, the more likely they will be sceptical in terms of both questions. However, support of government or opposition parties does not determine whether they believe in the ability of scientists to develop effective vaccines, and it is influenced by their media consumption habits. We showed that (1) opposition supporters are much more different along their preferred media source than government supporters, (2) television watchers are of the same opinion independent of their party preference and (3) social media consumers are generally more likely to reject scientific results. The phenomenon that supporters of the conservative government and of the alliance of opposition parties are different in terms of their media consumption is a surprising finding in the polarised Hungarian context. We provide two main explanations for this. First, it is most probably the consequence of the government’s intensive campaign that encouraged vaccination. Second, the government used the issue of vaccination as a source of legitimacy regarding the effectiveness of their crisis management.

Politicising European counter-terrorism: the role of NGOs

ABSTRACT The article examines the role of NGOs in the politicisation of EU security. The focus of the empirical analysis lies on the field of EU counter-terrorism. The cases selected are two different types of legal acts, adopted in the aftermath of serious terrorist attacks in EU member states: The EU data retention directive and the EU passenger name record (PNR) directive. These policies present intrusiveness and relevance for Brussels-based and national civil rights NGOs since they both aim to touch upon individual liberties, like privacy rights or the right to protect personal data. The article goes further by opening up the black box of politicisation. It does so by assuming that politicisation is characterised by a certain level of salience, actor range and polarisation. The paper links politicisation literature to research on the influence of interest groups that are discussing, for example, voice, access or litigation as strategies. Therewith, the paper contributes to the scientific debate on politicisation in two ways: First, it sheds light on the so far disregarded role of NGOs in politicisation. Second, it builds a bridge to interest group literature by examining repertoires of NGOs in politicisation.

Impact of Human Rights Education at School, Community and Individual Levels - Case Study of Georgia Research Essay

Since its independence in 1991, the promotion of human rights has been a part of Georgia’s efforts towards the integration into Euro-Atlantic Institutions. However, difficulties in introducing the concept of individual, democratic and human rights are persistent in the teaching/learning process, as these concepts are still not organic and commonly understood in popular culture. Herewith, a growing level of political and societal polarisation between nationalistic and liberal forces impedes the process of effective promotion of universal human rights principles. The article analyzes the tensions between the core values of nationalism and liberal ideology in Georgia, as well as the supporting factors for the promotion of human rights education (HRE). It discusses the potential of HRE in mitigating the societal polarisation and reaching social cohesion around the basic civic values. A conclusion is made that, despite considerable progress achieved in promoting HRE in Georgia during the last decade, complexities remain related to the difficulty of introducing the concepts of individual, democratic and human rights in the teaching/learning process, as such concepts are still not organic and commonly understood in popular culture. Based on the best practices identified in various impact assessment studies on HRE worldwide, recommendations are offered for the schools to introduce transformative and emancipatory learning and make HRE effective through the application of the ‘wholeschool’ approach - an effective tool for bringing tangible changes to the school environment, as well as the impact on the household and community levels.
 Keywords: human rights education, social cohesion, Georgia, impact of education, wholeschool approach, social cohesion

Unipolar plasma electrolytic oxidation: Waveform optimisation for corrosion resistance of commercially pure titanium

AbstractThis study deals with the anodisation of titanium grade 2 in 0.5‐M sulphuric acid using a pulsed signal in a unipolar regime. The electrical parameters investigated are voltage, frequency and duty cycle. The use of duty cycles with a high percentage of anodic polarisation (90%), combined with high frequencies (1000 Hz) and the higher voltage tested (220 V), favoured the establishment of a plasma regime involving strong dielectric discharges, allowing the growth of thicker oxides but with rough architecture. The corrosion resistance of the formed film has been characterised by potentiodynamic tests in 0.5‐M NaBr for localised corrosion resistance and by immersion tests in 10% v/v sulphuric acid solution for a uniform corrosion assessment. Current–time curves, visual observations and electron microscope analysis (scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy) were the tools selected to provide a correlation between technological parameters and oxide growth mechanism. For localised and uniform corrosion, anodisation at 220 V with a high level of anodic polarisation (90%) and frequency (1000 Hz) was verified to be particularly advantageous.

The effect of public opinion and politics on attitudes towards pill testing: Results from the 2019 Australian Election Study.

Following several deaths due to drug overdoses at music festivals in Australia, pill testing (or drug checking) has been proposed as a means of reducing the risk to young people. However, pill testing is a politically controversial policy in Australia. This paper examines the political dimension to the debate, its relationship with other social issues and how it divides party supporters. The data come from the 2019 Australian Election Study survey-a large (n = 2179), nationally weighted representative probability survey conducted immediately after the federal election. Bivariate and multivariate analyses are used to identify the social groups, attitudes and vote preferences most associated with public views about pill testing. Almost two-thirds of the public support pill testing at music festivals. The young and those who do not attend church are most likely to express support. Supporters of other liberal social opinions, such as the legalisation of marijuana, are also strongly supportive of pill testing. Those who vote for one of the two main conservative parties are less likely to support pill testing. While a majority of the public support pill testing, beyond the Australian Capital Territory this has not translated into policy in other jurisdictions. The results show that there is a high level of political polarisation surrounding opinions among both voters and political elites. This issue must be addressed if the policy is to be advanced as part of an overall harm reduction approach to drug use.

Transition towards sustainable pharmacy? The influence of public debates on policy responses to pharmaceutical contaminants in water

BackgroundDespite clear-cut scientific evidence for pharmaceutical contaminants causing adverse effects in aquatic life, the regulatory response in Germany has been weak. In principle, there are different policy approaches to address pharmaceutical contaminants: German water protection policies mostly follows a control approach, complemented by end-of-pipe solutions in some German states. The approach leaves the activities of key target groups, such as the pharmaceutical industry, largely unaffected. A stakeholder consultation initiated in 2016 by the German Federal Ministry of the Environment did not lead to significant changes in regulation. Empirical research in political science has shown that analysing the public debate can be helpful in explaining policy responses and, in particular, policy change. This study follows this approach and investigates whether the German policy response to pharmaceutical contaminants can be explained by characteristics of the public debate on the issue.ResultsA discourse network analysis based on newspaper reporting in Germany was conducted between 2013 and 2017 to investigate the public debate on pharmaceutical contaminants. German newspapers actually paid considerable attention to the issue. In fact, the debate was not controversial, and participating organisations expressed similar views with regard to the risk of the contaminants, the causes of contamination and the approaches to be taken to mitigate the release of contaminants to the environment. The main narrative in the debate was supportive to the current policy approach applied in Germany. There were no concerted efforts by organisations such as environmental organisations or ecological parties to mobilise for an alternative policy approach.ConclusionsThe low level of polarisation in the policy subsystem and the absence of a strong narrative mobilising a major policy change may explain the persistence of the policy approach to pharmaceutical contaminants applied in Germany. A significant change to the current approach in the near future seems unlikely. Nevertheless, literature in political science shows that a polarised public debate and a strong pro-change actor coalition often preceded policy change. Actors with an interest in stricter regulation might want to reconsider their mobilisation strategies.

Cultural Heterogeneity and Economic Development in Russia

The paper studies change in the national and religious structure of the population and assesses the impact of cultural heterogeneity on the economic development of Russian regions. Sources of information on the national structure of the population are 2002 and 2010 censuses. The analysis of heterogeneity in the religious structure is carried out for 2012 and 2015 and sources of the data are Atlas of Religions and Nationalities of Russia and the Federal Agency for Nationality Affairs. Fractionalisation and polarisation indices are used to assess the level of cultural heterogeneity. The study of these characteristics showed that despite the intensification of migration processes in contemporary Russia, there were no major changes in the cultural structure of the population of the regions. At the same time, there is a wide variety of national and religious structures in the regions. The impact of cultural heterogeneity on economic development is estimated using regression analysis. The panel regression of gross regional product on labor, capital, controlling variables and indices of cultural heterogeneity is estimated. The results have shown: 1) the positive impact of ethnic and cultural fractionalisation on economic development; 2) the absence of a statistically significant relationship between the level of national polarisation and development; 3) the negative impact of religious polarisation on regional productivity. The results suggest that it is necessary to consider cultural heterogeneity of the society and the possibility of contradictions due to the cultural differences in the regional policy and in the decisions on the public finance

Polarisation of high energy gamma-rays after scattering

The polarisation of sunlight after scattering off the atmosphere was first described by Chandrasekhar using a geometrical description of Rayleigh interactions. Kosowsky later extended Chandrasekhar's formalism by using Quantum Field Theory (QFT) to describe the polarisation of the Cosmological Microwave Background radiation. Here we focus on a case that is rarely discussed in the literature, namely the polarisation of high energy radiation after scattering off particles. After demonstrating why the geometrical and low energy QFT approaches fail in this case, we establish the transport formalism that allows to describe the change of polarisation of high energy photons when they propagate through space or the atmosphere. We primarily focus on Compton interactions but our approach is general enough to describe e.g. the scattering of high energy photons off new particles or through new interactions. Finally we determine the conditions for a circularly polarised γ-ray signal to keep the same level of circular polarisation as it propagates through its environment.

Acoustic emission as a function of polarisation: Diagnosis of polymer electrolyte fuel cell hydration state

Understanding water management is a crucial aspect in the development of improved polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). Separating the performance degradation due to dehydration, water flooding and reactant starvation in PEFCs is a major challenge. In this study, acoustic emission (AE) analysis, a non-invasive and non-destructive diagnostic tool, is utilised to probe water formation and removal inside an operating fuel cell. In the acoustic emission as a function of polarisation (AEfP) method, AE activity from the PEFC is measured in terms of cumulative absolute AE energy (CAEE) hits during operation at discrete points on the polarisation curve. AEfP can identify the presence of liquid water in flow channels and correlate its formation and removal with the level of cell polarisation, and consequent internal temperature. Correlation between acoustic activity and water generation, supply and removal is achieved by varying current (polarisation), cathode air feed relative humidity (RH) and cell temperature, respectively. Features such as initial membrane hydration, liquid water formation, ‘flushing’ and the transition from ‘wet-channel’ to ‘dry-channel’ operation are identified using AE analysis, thereby providing a powerful and easy to implement diagnostic for PEFCs.

Indonesia’s Democratic Paradox: Competitive Elections amidst Rising Illiberalism

Indonesia’s 2019 elections confirmed both the country’s status as a competitive electoral democracy and the trend of decreasing democratic quality. In this article, we investigate this seemingly paradoxical pattern by highlighting four political arenas directly associated with the elections. First, the incumbent government’s failure to secure a larger margin of victory for President Jokowi highlights the continued competitiveness of the electoral system, despite attempts to use state agencies for the president’s re-election campaign. Second, although efforts to mobilise state resources for Jokowi were largely unsuccessful, they added to an already significant illiberal shift. Third, the elections further accelerated the weakening of political parties, with the personalisation of legislative polls achieving new heights. Finally, the election campaign and results led to a level of religious polarisation in voting behaviour that was last seen in the 1950s. In analysing these themes, we argue that while the co-existence of Indonesia’s competitive elections with illiberal trends appears contradictory, the two are in fact interrelated.