Manipulation Strategies Research Articles

*Corresponding author: suwandi.sumartias@unpad.ac.id E-ISSN: 2289-1528 https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2024-4002-01 Portrait of Hate Speech Propagators' Behaviour in Indonesia Twittersphere: A Comparative Virtual Ethnography Study

Political life in Indonesia today cannot be separated from the social media platform Twitter (X) because it is often used to express opinions freely. Unfortunately, a handful of parties misused the freedom of communication and expression offered by Twitter (X) to spread hate speech. One of the biggest phenomena is “Cebong” and “Kadrun”. This research examines the characteristics of hate speech spreaders in the political context of "Cebong" and "Kadrun". This study employed virtual ethnography to interpret the phenomenon of political hate speech on Twitter (X) in May 2022. The hate speech made by "Cebong" and "Kadrun" can be concluded as two hostile political camps. They argued with each other to show their identity as supporters of one of the camps and aimed to bring down the opposing political camp. The tweets made by “Cebong” were dominated by arguments classified as arguments by analogy; meanwhile, "Kadrun" was dominated by discovery arguments: arguments from cause to effect. The manipulation strategy carried out by "Cebong" is dominated by connotations, and "Kadrun" is dominated by specific warrants and connotations. The fallacy expressed by "Cebong" is dominated by persuasive definitions; meanwhile, "Kadrun" is dominated by hasty generalizations. These findings could be suggestions for creating a healthier ecosystem in the digital public sphere in Indonesia. Twitter (X) users should be more aware of reporting content that indicates hate speech. By knowing the characteristics of hate speech and the characteristics of hate speech spreaders, Twitter users can stop the spread of hate speech. Keywords: Cebong, Kadrun, hate speech, propagators, Twitter.

Linguistic Manipulation in Orwell’s Animal Farm: A Pragma-Stylistic Perspective

Orwell’s (1945/2013) Animal Farm is a rich source of manipulative discourses, especially as embodied in the character Squealer, who masterfully exploits the peripheral entities. Despite its critical and widespread acclaim, the systematic exploration of specific pragma-stylistic strategies that Orwell uses to depict manipulation and propaganda are understudied in the literature. Utilizing an eclectic theoretical framework incorporating Johnson’s (2000) manifest rationality theory and the deceptive principle posited by Merzah and Abbas (2020), this study performs a qualitative intra-analysis to unearth the distinct employment of a myriad of fallacies, such as scapegoating, ad nauseam, false dilemma, domino fallacy, historical negationism, and ad ignorantiam. This research aims to explore manipulative rhetoric from the viewpoint of pragma-stylistics. The significance of this research lies in its potential to deepen our understanding of rhetorical strategies in allegorical literature, offering insights into how language can be used to manipulate and influence. This study addresses the central question: How do specific pragma-stylistic strategies enable characters in Animal Farm to manipulate and propagate fallacies, and what implications does this have for understanding similar manipulative techniques in political discourse? The findings suggest a contrast between Squealer’s and Napoleon’s manipulative strategies: Napoleon, akin to the uncharismatic communication style of Stalin, leverages scapegoating to undermine his adversaries, while Squealer, Napoleon’s rhetorical extension, focuses on distorting historical events, exaggerating consequences, and perpetuating falsehoods

Mycobacterium dormancy and antibiotic tolerance within the retinal pigment epithelium of ocular tuberculosis.

Understanding the metabolic environment within the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells altered by infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and mycobacterial dormancy is crucial to identify new therapeutic methods to cure ocular tuberculosis. The present study showed that RPE cellular metabolism is altered to foster intracellular M. tuberculosis to enter into the dormant and drug-tolerant state, thereby blunting the efficacy of anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy. RPE cells serve as an anatomical niche as the cells protect invading bacilli from antibiotic treatment. LC-MS metabolomics of RPE cells after co-treatment with H2O2 and M. tuberculosis infection showed that the intracellular environment within RPE cells is enriched with a greater level of oxidative stress. The antibiotic tolerance of intracellular M. tuberculosis within RPE cells can be restored by a metabolic manipulation strategy such as co-treatment of antibiotic with the most downstream glycolysis metabolite, phosphoenolpyruvate.

Does Phage Therapy Need a Pan-Phage?

The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria is undoubtedly one of the most serious global health threats. One response to this threat that has been gaining momentum over the past decade is 'phage therapy'. According to this, lytic bacteriophages are used for the treatment of bacterial infections, either alone or in combination with antimicrobial agents. However, to ensure the efficacy and broad applicability of phage therapy, several challenges must be overcome. These challenges encompass the development of methods and strategies for the host range manipulation and bypass of the resistance mechanisms developed by pathogenic bacteria, as has been the case since the advent of antibiotics. As our knowledge and understanding of the interactions between phages and their hosts evolves, the key issue is to define the host range for each application. In this article, we discuss the factors that affect host range and how this determines the classification of phages into different categories of action. For each host range group, recent representative examples are provided, together with suggestions on how the different groups can be used to combat certain types of bacterial infections. The available methodologies for host range expansion, either through sequential adaptation to a new pathogen or through genetic engineering techniques, are also reviewed.

Classification and Evaluation of Octopus-Inspired Suction Cups for Soft Continuum Robots.

The emergence of the field of soft robotics has led to an interest in suction cups as auxiliary structures on soft continuum arms to support the execution of manipulation tasks. This application poses demanding requirements on suction cups with respect to sensorization, adhesion under non-ideal contact conditions, and integration into fully soft systems. The octopus can serve as an important source of inspiration for addressing these challenges. This review aims to accelerate research in octopus-inspired suction cups by providing a detailed analysis of the octopus sucker, determining meaningful performance metrics for suction cups on the basis of this analysis, and evaluating the state-of-the-art in suction cups according to these performance metrics. In total, 47 records describing suction cups are found, classified according to the deployed actuation method, and evaluated on performance metrics reflecting the level of sensorization, adhesion, and integration. Despite significant advances in recent years, the octopus sucker outperforms all suction cups on all performance metrics. The realization of high resolution tactile sensing in suction cups and the integration of such sensorized suction cups in soft continuum structures are identified as two major hurdles toward the realization of octopus-inspired manipulation strategies in soft continuum robot arms.

Investigation into the association of FNDC1 and ADAMTS12 gene expression with plumage coloration in Muscovy ducks.

To elucidate the molecular genetic mechanisms underpinning feather color in Muscovy ducks. A cohort of 100 Muscovy ducks was meticulously selected for this research. Follicular tissues from ducks exhibiting black and white plumage served as the experimental samples. From these tissues, RNA and proteins were extracted for further analysis. The RNA underwent reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction amplification, followed by validation through western blot assays. The data revealed a significant upregulation in the expression of FN domain-containing protein 1 (FNDC1) and ADAMTS12 genes in Muscovy ducks with white plumage traits as opposed to those with black plumage traits. Specifically, individuals with pure white plumage demonstrated a markedly elevated expression of the FNDC1 gene in comparison to their pure black counterparts. Conversely, expression levels of the ADAMTS12 gene were found to be reduced in ducks with pure black plumage relative to those with pure white plumage. Notably, the expression patterns of FNDC1 and ADAMTS12 genes exhibited inconsistencies between mRNA and protein levels. This study offers significant insights into the molecular genetic mechanisms underlying feather color variation in Muscovy ducks. FNDC1 and ADAMTS12 could be considered potential targets for genetic manipulation or selective breeding strategies aimed at achieving specific feather color phenotypes in Muscovy ducks.

Manipulating English news reports translated into Arabic: the influence of patronage and socio-narratives

ABSTRACT The influence of patronage and socio-narratives on the process and product of translation is examined, focusing on the implications of these social phenomena on the translation of current affairs in the Arab world. The translation of English news articles in Arabic newspapers is analysed to see whether the linguistic structures and strategies employed by the source and target newspapers in news reporting are doctored for communication flow or rather censored to serve the patrons’ goals and political agendas. It is suggested that the main objective in translating news articles into Arabic is not to achieve linguistic equivalence in all cases, but rather to naturalize the message in the communication process or employ censorship in order to fulfil the needs and political agenda of the ‘patrons’. The selected translated news, from two popular Arabic newspapers, the Egyptian Al-Ahram and the Syrian Tishreen, feature various manipulative strategies that shift perspectives and justify the repressive measures and policies of the Arab patrons.

A Cocaine-Activated Ensemble Exerts Increased Control Over Behavior While Decreasing in Size

BackgroundSubstance use disorder is characterized by long-lasting changes in reward-related brain regions, such as the nucleus accumbens. Previous work has shown that cocaine exposure induces plasticity in broad, genetically defined cell types in the nucleus accumbens; however, in response to a stimulus, only a small percentage of neurons are transcriptionally active—termed an ensemble. Here, we identify an Arc-expressing neuronal ensemble that has a unique trajectory of recruitment and causally controls drug self-administration after repeated, but not acute, cocaine exposure. MethodsUsing Arc-CreERT2 transgenic mice, we expressed transgenes in Arc+ ensembles activated by cocaine exposure (either acute [1 × 10 mg/kg intraperitoneally] or repeated [10 × 10 mg/kg intraperitoneally]). Using genetic, optical, and physiological recording and manipulation strategies, we assessed the contribution of these ensembles to behaviors associated with substance use disorder. ResultsRepeated cocaine exposure reduced the size of the ensemble while simultaneously increasing its control over behavior. Neurons within the repeated cocaine ensemble were hyperexcitable, and their optogenetic excitation was sufficient for reinforcement. Finally, lesioning the repeated cocaine, but not the acute cocaine, ensemble blunted cocaine self-administration. Thus, repeated cocaine exposure reduced the size of the ensemble while simultaneously increasing its contributions to drug reinforcement. ConclusionsWe showed that repeated, but not acute, cocaine exposure induced a physiologically distinct ensemble characterized by the expression of the immediate early gene Arc, which was uniquely capable of modulating reinforcement behavior.

Multi-Interface Engineering of MXenes for Self-Powered Wearable Devices.

Self-powered wearable devices with integrated energy supply module and sensitive sensors have significantly blossomed for continuous monitoring of human activity and the surrounding environment in healthcare sectors. The emerging of MXene-based materials has brought research upsurge in the fields of energy and electronics, owing to their excellent electrochemical performance, large surface area, superior mechanical performance, and tunable interfacial properties, where their performance can be further boosted via multi-interface engineering. Herein, a comprehensive review of recent progress in MXenes for self-powered wearable devices is discussed from the aspects of multi-interface engineering. The fundamental properties of MXenes including electronic, mechanical, optical, and thermal characteristics are discussed in detail. Different from previous review works on MXenes, multi-interface engineering of MXenes from termination regulation to surface modification and their impact on the performance of materials and energy storage/conversion devices are summarized. Based on the interfacial manipulation strategies, potential applications of MXene-based self-powered wearable devices are outlined. Finally, proposals and perspectives are provided on the current challenges and future directions in MXene-based self-powered wearable devices.

Enhanced performance of normally-OFF GaN HEMTs with stair-shaped p-GaN cap layer

The p-GaN-gated E-mode HEMTs (P-HEMTs) are being extensively studied for emerging power electronics. However, the devices still suffer from performance trade-off among threshold voltage (V TH), output drain current (I DS), and breakdown voltage (V BD). Herein, we propose a P-HEMT with a stair-like p-GaN cap layer to boost their performance. The p-GaN cap layer is composed of four discrete p-GaN staircases with the decreased thickness to the right (Right-Stair P-HEMT) or to the left (Left-Stair P-HEMT). It is found that the RSP-HEMT simultaneously achieves the 1.3 times increased I DS, 160 V enhanced V BD, and improved V TH stability against drain-induced barrier lowering effects, compared with the LSP-HEMT and the conventional BaSeline P-HEMT. These device merits should be attributed to the effective manipulation of the lateral electric field (E F) under all bias conditions by the unique band structures enabled by the RSP configuration. Such E F manipulation strategies offer us helpful guidance and insights to further propel the development of high-performance E-mode P-HEMTs.

Heroes of everyday life, sinners and sheriffs. Figurative nominations of a person as a means of implementing a manipulative nominative strategy in media discourse (based on the material of the German language 2020-2023)

Heroes of everyday life, sinners and sheriffs. Figurative nominations of a person as a means of implementing a manipulative nominative strategy in media discourse (based on the material of the German language 2020-2023)

Development of an Efficient CRISPR/Cas9 System in Fusarium verticillioides and Its Application in Reducing Mycotoxin Contamination.

Fusarium verticillioides (F. verticillioides) is a globally recognized and highly impactful fungal pathogen of maize, causing yield losses and producing harmful mycotoxins that pose a threat to human and animal health. However, the genetic tools available for studying this crucial fungus are currently limited in comparison to other important fungal pathogens. To address this, an efficient CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system based on an autonomously replicating plasmid with an AMA1 sequence was established in this study. First, gene disruption of pyrG and pyrE via nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathway was successfully achieved, with efficiency ranging from 66 to 100%. Second, precise gene deletions were achieved with remarkable efficiency using a dual sgRNA expression strategy. Third, the developed genome editing system can be applied to generate designer chromosomes in F. verticillioides, as evidenced by the deletion of a crucial 38 kb fragment required for fumonisin biosynthesis. Fourth, the pyrG recycling system has been established and successfully applied in F. verticillioides. Lastly, the developed ΔFUM1 and ΔFUM mutants can serve as biocontrol agents to reduce the fumonisin B1 (FB1) contamination produced by the toxigenic strain. Taken together, these significant advancements in genetic manipulation and biocontrol strategies provide valuable tools for studying and mitigating the impact of F. verticillioides on maize crops.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of nutritional and dietary interventions in randomized controlled trials for skin symptoms in children with atopic dermatitis and without food allergy: An EAACI task force report.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to consolidate evidence on dietary interventions for atopic eczema/dermatitis (AD) skin symptoms in children without food allergies, following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Systematic review updates were conducted in May 2022 and June 2023, focusing on randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) involving children with AD but without food allergies. Specific diets or supplements, such as vitamins, minerals, probiotics, prebiotics, symbiotics, or postbiotics, were explored in these trials. Exclusions comprised descriptive studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, letters, case reports, studies involving elimination diets, and those reporting on food allergens in children and adolescents. Additionally, studies assessing exacerbation of AD due to food allergy/sensitization and those evaluating elimination diets' effects on AD were excluded. Nutritional supplementation studies were eligible regardless of sensitization profile. Evaluation of their impact on AD clinical expression was performed using SCORAD scores, and a meta-analysis of SCORAD outcomes was conducted using random-effect models (CRD42022328702). The review encompassed 27 RCTs examining prebiotics, Vitamin D, evening primrose oil, and substituting cow's milk formula with partially hydrolyzed whey milk formula. A meta-analysis of 20 RCTs assessing probiotics, alone or combined with prebiotics, revealed a significant reduction in SCORAD scores, suggesting a consistent trend in alleviating AD symptoms in children without food allergies. Nonetheless, evidence for other dietary interventions remains limited, underscoring the necessity for well-designed intervention studies targeting multiple factors to understand etiological interactions and propose reliable manipulation strategies.

Research Strategies for Precise Manipulation of Micro/Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Systems Using Microfluidic Technology: A Review

AbstractMicrofluidic technology facilitates precise control over fluid mixing and interactions between the components, including self-assembly and precipitation. It offers new options for accurately manufacturing particles and holds significant potential in advancing micro/nanoparticle drug delivery systems (DDSs). Various microchannel/microfluidic chips have been explored to construct micro/nanoparticle DDSs. The precise manipulation of particle size, morphology, structure, stiffness, surface characteristics, and elasticity through microfluidic technology relies on specific microchannel geometrical designs and the application of exogenous energy, adhering to the principles of fluid motion. Consequently, this enables reproducible control over critical quality attributes (CQAs), such as particle size and distribution, encapsulation efficiency, drug loading, in vitro and in vivo drug delivery profiles, Zeta potential, and targeting capabilities, for micro/nanoparticle DDSs. In this review, we categorize microfluidic techniques and explore recent research developments in novel microchannel structures spanning the past 5 years (2018–2023) and their applications in micro/nanoparticle DDSs. Additionally, we elucidate the latest manipulation strategies of microfluidic techniques that impact foundational structures related to the CQAs of micro/nanoparticle DDSs. Furthermore, we offer insights into the industrial applications and challenges microfluidic techniques face in the context of novel micro/nanoparticle DDSs.

Exposure manipulation strategies for balancing computational efficiency and precision in seismic risk analysis

Exposure models for regional seismic risk assessment often place assets at the centroids of administrative units for which data are available. At best, a top-down approach is followed, where such data are spatially disaggregated over a denser spatial grid, using proxy datasets such as the distribution of population or the density of night-time lights. The resolution of the spatial grid is either dictated by the resolution of the proxy dataset, or by constraints in computational resources. On the other hand, if a building-by-building database is available, it often needs to be aggregated and brought to a resolution that ensures acceptable calculation runtimes and memory demands. Several studies have now investigated the impact of exposure aggregation on loss estimates. Herein, unlike previous attempts, we can leverage upon an extensive building-by-building database for the Swiss territory, which we can use as ground truth. We firstly proceed to assess the aggregation-induced errors of standard risk metrics at different spatial scales. Then a new strategy for performing said aggregation is proposed, relying on a K-means clustering of site parameters and a reduction of the loss ratio uncertainty for aggregated assets. These interventions are designed with the objective of minimizing errors, while keeping the computational cost manageable.

Enhancing Ion Adsorption Capability through the Strong Interaction in Co9S8‐Carbon Hybrids Achieves Superior Sodium Ion Storage

AbstractMetal sulfides materials are promising anode candidates for Na+ storage due to their low cost and high theoretical capacity, while the complex phase transition and inevitable volume expansion during cycling restrain their practical applications. Herein, a simple one‐pot manipulation strategy was designed to construct Co9S8 nanoparticles strongly encapsulated in carbon nanotubes (Co9S8@C/NTs) composite structure with enhanced structural stability and reaction kinetics, resulting in greatly improved Na+ storage performance. Specifically, the obtained Co9S8@C/NTs could exhibit a remarkable capacity of 500 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 after 100 cycles and exceptional cycling stability over 600 cycles with 88 % capacity retention at 1 A g−1. Furthermore, the theoretical calculations combined with systematic characterizations confirm that the strong interaction between Co9S8 and the carbon matrix could greatly enhance the Na+ adsorption ability and facilitate the electron transfer dynamics for superior Na+ storage capability. More importantly, the full cell device can deliver an outstanding energy density of 144.32 Wh kg−1 and a decent cycling life with 82 % capacity retention of almost 100 cycles at 0.1 A g−1. This work could provide more valuable insights for designing advanced metal sulfide nanocomposites and demonstrate fascinating prospects for commercial application.

Enhanced self-polarization effect by tuning interfacial binding energy for self-powered flexible piezoelectric pressure sensors

Flexible pressure sensors based on PVDF and its copolymers have been extensively investigated due to their unique self-powered characteristics and high sensitivity. Herein, a new strategy of manipulation the interfacial binding energy between the organic and inorganic groups has been utilized to enhance the performance of the flexible piezoelectric pressure sensors. Four types of interfacial interactions of different binding energy have been designed in the polydopamine (PDA) decorated lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and P(VDF-TrFE) composites. The results based on first-principles calculations reveal that PDA acts as a binder between PZT and P(VDF-TrFE) due to the strong interaction between -NH2 and -CF2- dipoles. The strong interaction results in enhanced self-polarization effect and enhanced piezoelectric effect, and the improved sensitivity of the pressure sensors. The β-phase content of P(VDF-TrFE) increases from 17% to 87% when the content of PZT@PDA nanoparticles reaches 15 wt%. PZT@PDA/P(VDF-TrFE) self-powered pressure sensor (SPPS) exhibits an output voltage of 44 V and a high sensitivity of 1.38 V/kPa with no significant performance degradation during 10,000 cycles of pressure application. Moreover, the SPPS shows an excellent self-powered ability with the highest short-circuit current of 8.6 μA and the peak power density of 15 μW/cm2. The SPPS demonstrates the extraordinary sensing performance in body motion sensing and hand gesture recognition.

Deceived by Immersion: A Systematic Analysis of Deceptive Design in Extended Reality

The well-established deceptive design literature has focused on conventional user interfaces. With the rise of extended reality (XR), understanding deceptive design’s unique manifestations in this immersive domain is crucial. However, existing research lacks a full, cross-disciplinary analysis that analyzes how XR technologies enable new forms of deceptive design. Our study reviews the literature on deceptive design in XR environments. We use thematic synthesis to identify key themes. We found that XR’s immersive capabilities and extensive data collection enable subtle and powerful manipulation strategies. We identified eight themes outlining these strategies and discussed existing countermeasures. Our findings show the unique risks of deceptive design in XR, highlighting implications for researchers, designers, and policymakers. We propose future research directions that explore unintentional deceptive design, data-driven manipulation solutions, user education, and the link between ethical design and policy regulations.

Transcriptomic Insights into Host Metabolism and Immunity Changes after Parasitization by Leptopilina myrica.

Parasitoids commonly manipulate their host's metabolism and immunity to facilitate their offspring survival, but the mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we deconstructed the manipulation strategy of a newly discovered parasitoid wasp, L. myrica, which parasitizes D. melanogaster. Using RNA-seq, we analyzed transcriptomes of L. myrica-parasitized and non-parasitized Drosophila host larvae. A total of 22.29 Gb and 23.85 Gb of clean reads were obtained from the two samples, respectively, and differential expression analysis identified 445 DEGs. Of them, 304 genes were upregulated and 141 genes were downregulated in parasitized hosts compared with non-parasitized larvae. Based on the functional annotations in the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases, we found that the genes involved in host nutrition metabolism were significantly upregulated, particularly in carbohydrate, amino acid, and lipid metabolism. We also identified 30 other metabolism-related DEGs, including hexokinase, fatty acid synthase, and UDP-glycosyltransferase (Ugt) genes. We observed that five Bomanin genes (Boms) and six antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) were upregulated. Moreover, a qRT-PCR analysis of 12 randomly selected DEGs confirmed the reproducibility and accuracy of the RNA-seq data. Our results provide a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of how L. myrica manipulates its host, laying a solid foundation for studies on the regulatory mechanisms employed by parasitoid wasps in their hosts.

Path planning of micromanipulators inside an SEM and 3D nanomanipulation of CNTs for nanodevice construction

The concept of a nano-laboratory inside an SEM involves performing a sequence of tasks in a continuous pattern. Robotic systems with nanoscale motion resolution facilitate in-situ manipulation and characterization of nanomaterials to assemble nanodevices inside SEMs. Precise motion control of micromanipulators is required at both macro and micro-nano scales to effectively execute multiple sequential experimental tasks in nanofabrication. However, managing the entire nanomanipulation setup is challenging due to the constricted workspace inside an SEM and the lack of proper process feedback information at that scale. This study explores the application of path planning algorithms to generate a collision-free motion path for the micromanipulators operating within the confined space of an SEM. A MATLAB-based computational tool is first developed using PRM and Dijkstra's path planning algorithms. Considering environmental constraints, the program generates an optimal motion path for the micromanipulators, facilitating automatic configuration changes within the SEM chamber. It ensures a seamless workflow and facilitates the smooth integration of additional experimental tools within the existing setup. Manipulation strategies using the nanorobotic setup are established based on the application of the developed path planning module. A pick-and-place 3D nanomanipulation technique of CNTs using cooperative control of dual micromanipulators has been demonstrated for nanodevice construction. Additionally, the electrical response of individually manipulated CNTs is recorded using a two-probe measurement technique.