Propagandists discredit political ideas that rival their own. In China’s state-run media, one common technique is to place the phrase so-called, in English, or 所谓, in Chinese, before the idea to be discredited. In this research note we apply quantitative text analysis methods to over 45,000 Xinhua articles from 2003 to 2022 containing so-called or 所谓 to better understand the ideas the government wishes to discredit for different audiences. We find that perceived challenges to China’s sovereignty consistently draw usage of the term and that a theme of rising importance is political rivalry with the United States. When it comes to differences between internal and external propaganda, we find broad similarities, but differences in how the US is discredited and more emphasis on cooperation for foreign audiences. These findings inform scholarship on comparative authoritarian propaganda and Chinese propaganda specifically.

In this retrospective study, critically ill patients with community-acquired pneumonia frequently received empiric anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and antipseudomonal antibiotics despite having few or no guidelines-endorsed risk factors. De-escalation of anti-MRSA therapy was quicker, likely aided by MRSA polymerase chain reaction assays.

Mixed reality simulations such as TeachLivE and Mursion have been increasingly utilised to prepare teachers for inclusive classrooms. The use of mixed reality simulations, which combine elements of both virtual and augmented reality, offers immersive and interactive experiences that can enhance teacher training in various ways. These simulations provide preservice teachers with realistic and safe spaces to practise inclusive communication, pedagogy, and classroom management. Each scenario can be tailored to provide practice in specific skills and support preservice teachers in meeting the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership standards. This is especially helpful in view of today’s inclusive classes, as avatars in the simulations are neurodiverse, representing students of various abilities and personalities. The authors define mixed reality simulations, describe various ways that simulations have been used to support students in special and inclusive education, and describe a case study of simulations used for parent–teacher meetings and for inclusive classroom management in an Australian university. Lastly, they suggest directions for future research and practice.

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR) in preventing forest degradation and land-use changes within communal lands in the context of limited public consultation and the transformation of communal forest governance. We analysed forest-cover changes over 50 years using a multi-temporal approach, integrating aerial photographs, orthophotographs and satellite imagery. We obtained contextual knowledge through our long-term research engagement with the region and interviews conducted during participatory fieldwork. We analysed land-use changes in a watershed within the MBBR in Mexico before and after its designation as a protected area. Despite the reserve’s protected status, nearly half of the study area experienced forest-cover changes. Surprisingly, the most intense deforestation occurred after conservation decrees, as some communities engaged in pre-emptive forest clearing in response to anticipated restrictions. However, in later periods, forest recovery – driven by payment for environmental services, natural regeneration and community participation – began to outpace degradation. Nonetheless, the fir forest that is essential for monarch butterfly habitat was reduced by 43.3%, with illegal logging being one of the leading causes. This study highlights the importance of community involvement when establishing protected areas, as it can help reduce environmental impacts and ensure conservation success.

Sedimentary volcanism is a widespread phenomenon on Earth that leads to the extrusion of fine-grained sediments, saline waters, and hydrocarbons in compressional environments. In the present study, mud volcanoes located in eastern Azerbaijan were investigated with a particular interest in boron (B) influence on illite crystallinity, compared with results reported in the literature for Northern Apennine mud volcanoes (Italy). Azerbaijan sediments have a predominant silt fraction and a mineralogy dominated by quartz, feldspar, calcite, and clay minerals (illite, mixed-layer illite smectite, smectite, and chlorite). Reichweite grade, measured by estimated illite percentage in Ilt-Sme, associated with a geothermal gradient of 18°C km–1, indicates a sediment origin of 7–8 km, consistent with the depth of the Maikop Series, considered in the literature to be the main source rock of the erupted muds. Azerbaijan samples confirmed the inverse correlation between structural B in illite (53–182 μg g–1) and the Kübler index (KI) on illite (0.53–0.71°Δ2θ), previously observed for mud volcanoes in the Apennines. This suggests that a common process operates in these different environments, highlighting the role of B in illite crystallinity, and confirming the need to consider this interaction when using KI as a sediment depth marker in similar geological contexts.

L’invasion de l’Ukraine par la Russie en février 2022 a suscité des réactions importantes au Québec, mettant de l’avant des traits distinctifs de sa culture stratégique. Cet article propose une analyse rigoureuse et systématique des attitudes québécoises face à la guerre en Ukraine, en examinant les discours des élites politiques, des élus et politiciens, des médias et de l’opinion publique du 1er novembre 2021 au 24 février 2024. L’objectif est d’explorer les caractéristiques de la culture stratégique québécoise, d’évaluer son évolution et d’analyser son articulation avec la culture stratégique canadienne dominante. L’article s’intéresse également à la présence d’attitudes prorusses au Québec. Bien que la culture stratégique québécoise évolue progressivement vers un internationalisme libéral, nos résultats démontrent qu’elle demeure marquée par certaines tendances pacifistes, antimilitaristes et anti-impérialistes. Les attitudes prorusses, bien que présentes, sont principalement véhiculées par un nombre restreint d’acteurs.

The digitalization of the mining industry requires wireless connectivity for real-time status indications, remote-controlled mining operations, and autonomous driving vehicles in tunnels. This paper presents a wideband radio propagation measurement system and provides radio channel measurement results for data at 5G frequency range 1 and frequency range 2 bands recorded in Sandvik’s test mine in Tampere, Finland. The measured signal attenuation due to the blocking of the tunnel by a scoop and a large loader vehicle is found to be in the range of 10 dB at 3.5 GHz. The radio signal level attenuates significantly when the other end of the link moves into a side tunnel from the main tunnel. The measured signal attenuation rates in tunnel crossroads at 3.5 GHz were 10 and 15 dB/m. The root mean square delay spreads in the two crossroads were 3–10 ns, corresponding to coherence bandwidths of 300 and 100 MHz, respectively. The signal reflections from the tunnel walls were studied at a 26.5 GHz frequency by steering the transmission antenna azimuthally. The FR2 measurement results at 6 m inside the side tunnel indicate strong reflections from the side walls, evident from the path length amplitude results.

The World Organisation for Animal Health describes animal welfare as a “complex and multi-faceted subject with scientific, ethical, economic, cultural, social, religious and political dimensions.” In this study, an online survey in English and Japanese was developed based on the Five Freedoms, with the aim of investigating attitudes of veterinarians and behaviour/welfare scientists in the United Kingdom (UK) and Japan toward management of companion, farmed, experimental, zoo and wildlife animals. Respondents from the UK (n = 212) were more familiar with the Five Freedoms than those from Japan (n = 321) but both countries tended to prioritise ‘survival-related’ attributes (health and nutrition) over ‘situation-related’ attributes (behaviour) and the environmental impacts (discomfort). In Japan, however, fewer respondents recognised the ‘Freedom to express normal behaviour’ as important for domesticated animals compared to UK respondents. When considering vignettes with practical situations of cat management and dog euthanasia, UK respondents considered the provision of outdoor access to represent better management for cat welfare while most Japanese respondents thought cats should be managed entirely indoors, although the benefits and risks of going outdoors were similarly recognised in both countries. For the vignette of dog pain relating to an incurable tumour, severe pain and the dog’s mental stress motivated respondents from both countries to consider euthanasia. However, for Japanese respondents, the data suggested a perception that mental stress did not have an association with the dog’s inabilities to express normal behaviour. These data highlighted the importance of understanding the manner in which people perceive animals in different contexts and the value of considering different cultural approaches.