Fake news propagation in online social networks (OSN) is one of the critical societal threats nowadays directing attention to fake news mitigation and intervention techniques. One of the typical mitigation techniques focus on initiating news mitigation campaigns targeting a specific set of users when the infected set of users is known or targeting the entire network when the infected set of users is unknown. The contemporary mitigation techniques assume the campaign users’ acceptance to share a mitigation news (MN); however, in reality, user behavior is different. This paper focuses on devising a generic mitigation framework, where the social crowd can be employed to combat the influence of fake news in OSNs when the infected set of users is undefined. The framework is composed of three major phases: facts discovery, facts searching and, community recommendation. Mitigation news circulation is accomplished by recruiting a set of social crowd users (news propagators) who are likely to accept posting the mitigation news article. We propose a set of features that identify prospect OSN audiences and news propagators. Moreover, we inspect the variant properties of the news circulation process, such as incentivizing news propagators, determining the required number of news propagators, and the adaptivity of the MN circulation process. The paper pinpoints the significance of facts searching and news propagator’s behavior features introduced in the experimental results.

This descriptive quantitative survey study explored the perspectives of 221 secondary school teachers from 19 Egyptian governorates on the ICT (information and communications technology) component of the 2017 education reform. Data were collected during the novel context and mandates dictated by the widespread COVID-19. The main indicators of teachers’ perspectives were adopted from Rogers’s diffusion of innovation theory, while their digital competencies were aligned with the levels of the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework. The study found that the majority of participants hold positive perspectives on the relative advantage of ICT integration, average perspectives on its complexity, and negative perspectives on its compatibility with Egypt’s education needs and main priorities. Findings further highlight the presence of multiple challenges that may affect teachers’ decision to adopt/reject the ICT reform, including the human and technological infrastructures as well as communication. The insights gained from this study may assist in understanding teachers’ level of persuasion, possible sources of social resistance, and need for effective capacity building.

Purpose: Oral Lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic mucocutaneous disorder. One of the factors associated in induction of apoptosis in OLP is the Fas/FasL pathway. The aim of this investigation was to detect the salivary levels of apoptotic related marker soluble Fas (sFas) in OLP patients.Methods: 30 individuals were divided into 2 groups: 15 patients suffering from OLP and 15 healthy individuals as controls. Clinical score for OLP lesions and pain assessment at exacerbation was collected. Saliva samples were collected twice from the OLP group at baseline and after topical corticosteroid treatment and once from control group. Results:The mean salivary levels of sFas were significantly higher in OLP group at baseline than that of control group. After treatment sFas levels, pain and clinical scores decreased significantly in OLP group when compared to baseline. Conclusion: sFas levels in saliva were higher in patients with OLP when compared to controls and decreased significantly after treatment which may emphasize its role in the pathogenesis of the disease.

Purpose This paper aims at understanding the dynamics underlying toleration as a complex social phenomenon and its pattern on Facebook during the June 30th revolution in Egypt. Thanks to the huge advances in ICT, internet-mediated research (IMR) has become one of the most prominent research methodologies in social sciences. Discussions on social network sites cannot be neglected in studying the dynamics complex and emerging social phenomena such as changes in public opinion, culture, attitudes and virtues. Design/methodology/approach To fulfill this aim, the researchers used web content analysis as a method inside IMR paradigm to analyze the discussions on Tamarrod’s Facebook page in the period from June 30th to July 5th and to examine the emerging overall pattern of toleration. Findings The results show indications that toleration is inherent in the Egyptian culture, and that the Egyptian society still keeps its reputation as a highly tolerant society, even in crises periods where tensions are witnessed everywhere. Moreover, the results also show that the web content analysis process proposed in this study is highly reliable and valid. Originality/value The importance of the study lies in introducing a computational and empirical approach to analyze web content in a semi-automated way and proving its validity and reliability to study social phenomena such as toleration.