Common Ethnic Background Research Articles

Ethnicity and homophily effects in US M&As

AbstractWe show that ethnic diversity of CEOs of merging firms has been increasing and report evidence of ethnic homophily effect in M&As transactions. Specifically, M&As perform better when the CEOs of the merging firms share a common ethnic background. In a sample of 444 US mergers completed between 2000 and 2018, we find that ethnic homophily improves the probability of deal completion. Furthermore, we report mild variation of performance across ethnic groups. White CEOs exhibit better postmerger performance while Asian CEOs instigate a better market reaction (announcement return). Subsequent analyses show that White CEOs tend to have longer tenure and longer experience while Asian CEOs tend to be more transparent. We discuss our findings in light of a few extant theories and show that our findings are robust to several additional tests including instrumental variables, Heckman's selection bias correction, and several variations in the model specifications and definitions of key variables.

TERM PERSONALITY IN IVAN FRANKO’S LANGUAGE AND THINKING

The study analyzes the present research works on rendering psychological and linguistic features of personality as a central phenomenon in anthropocentric sciences, describes its structure and key elements. It proves the significant role of a language personality to determine all the major linguistic aspects and as well as to have an insight into language nature. Besides, the article distinguishes the notion of communicative personality taking into account peculiarities of speech processes such as psychological features of a person as a communicant with such characteristics as feelings, motives, intentions, goals, communicative situation. The study implies to highlight the importance of social and national personality as a part of a group and their role in the establishing of a nation as a higher stage of society development. It provides the main characteristics of national personality such as selfidentity, which splits into identity as and identity with, national consciousness, common ethnic background and language. The article deals with peculiarities of content value of term personality in Ivan Franko’s works, differentiates notions language personality, communicative personality and national personality as elements of an integrated personality. According to Franko’s worldview, the study defines the role of personality in psychological and behavioral models: “a man in language”, “a man in society”, “a man on the way to self-cognition”. It provides the analysis of I. Franko’s conceptual notion “a whole man” as an ideal aim in a person’s life, which reflects the psychological statement consisting in individual constant awareness of the way from the real-self to ideal-self. This way is always accompanied with the fundamental features: struggle, will power, liberty, moral choice, higher aim, while the main obstacles are defined as betrayal of oneself and yielding to one’s weak points. The article highlights the importance of I. Franko’s contribution to the definition of the notion personality in the scope of interdisciplinary studies.

Coping Strategies among Malaysian Women with Recurrent Ovarian Cancer: A Qualitative Study

Objective:Ovarian cancer is one of the most common cancers among Malaysian women with high recurrence. Patients with recurrence are prone to emotional distress and are forced to cope with poor prognosis. This study aimed to explore the coping strategies employed by women with recurrent ovarian cancer in Malaysia, a developing multicultural country in Asia.Methods:This was a qualitative study with patients diagnosed with recurrent ovarian cancer and receiving chemotherapy at a hospital gynecologic day-care unit. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with patients to explore how they coped with recurrence of ovarian cancer. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically.Results:The participants' (n = 10) age range was 52–84 years, the three most common ethnic backgrounds were represented (Malay, Chinese, and Indian), and most of the patients were well educated. All patients were on chemotherapy. Six coping strategies were identified: (1) maintaining a mindset of hopefulness, (2) avoidance of information, (3) accepting their condition, (4) seeking spiritual help, (5) relying on family for support, and (6) coping with financial costs.Conclusions:Coping strategies employed during ovarian cancer recurrence in this setting were rarely based on the accurate information appraisal, but rather on the individual emotion and personal beliefs.

Between divine and social justice: emerging climate-justice narratives in Latin American socio-environmental struggles

Abstract. This exploratory study traces the emergence of climate justice claims linked to narratives of Latin American social movements for the defence of life and territory. I argue that in post-colonial settings, religious and historical injustices and socio-cultural factors act as constitutive elements of environmental and climate justice understandings which are grounded in territories immersed in neo-extractivism conflicts. Environmental and climate justice conceptualizations have overlooked the religious fact present in many Latin American socio-environmental movements. As a result, the intertwined notions of divine justice and social justice are unacknowledged. To illustrate this claim, I examine socio-environmental and climate justice claims in a cross-border region between Guatemala and Chiapas. This region has a common ethnic background but divergent historical trajectories across the border. Diverse nuances and intensities adopted by environmental and climate justice practices and narratives on both sides of the border are examined. The case study reveals the importance of religion as a force for collective action and as a channel for the promotion of place-based notions of climate justice. The text calls for the examination of the religious factor, in its multiple expressions, in the theories of climate and environmental justice.

A study of normal copy number variations in Israeli population.

The population of Israel is ethnically diverse, and individuals from different ethnic groups share specific genetic variations. These variations, which have been passed on from common ancestors, are usually reported in public databases as rare variants. Here, we aimed to identify ethnicity-based benign copy number variants (CNVs) and generate the first Israeli CNV database. We applied a data-mining approach to the results of 10,193 chromosomal microarray tests, of which 2150 tests were from individuals of 13 common ethnic backgrounds (n ≥ 10). We found 165 CNV regions (> 50kbp) that are unique to specific ethnic groups (uCNVRs). The frequency of more than 19% of these uCNVRs is between 1 and 20% of the common ethnic origin, while their frequency in the overall cohort is between 0.5 and 1.6%. Of these 165 uCNVRs, 98 are reported as variants of unknown significance or as not available in dbVar; we postulate that these uCNVRs should be annotated as either "likely benign" or "benign". The ethnic-specific CNVs extracted in this study will allow geneticists to distinguish between relevant pathogenic genomic aberrations and benign ethnicity-related variations, thus preventing variant misinterpretation that may lead to unnecessary pregnancy terminations.

Food and Ethnic identity in the Cham Refugee Community in Malaysia

The Cham refugee community in Malaysia consists primarily of refugees from Cambodia and Vietnam. While they recognize each other as sharing a common ethnic background, divisions based on their country they came from serve as an obstacle to unity and solidarity. Food bridges the gap between these two groups. Dishes identified as Cham combine the culinary tradition of the two countries of origin and create a community of gustation. By consuming these foods and being a part of a community of gustation, the Cham articulate their ethnic identity and become a more coherent group.

Double seronegative myasthenia gravis with low density lipoprotein-4 (LRP4) antibodies presenting with isolated ocular symptoms

The detection of low density lipoprotein-4 (LRP4) antibodies in double seronegative (dSN) myasthenia gravis (MG) patients has provided new insights in the diagnosis and treatment of MG. However, there are limited data regarding the clinical presentation and treatment response in dSN MG patients with LRP4-antibodies. We present a case series of three Caucasian dSN MG patients with positive LRP4-antibodies sharing a common ethnic background that presented with isolated ocular symptoms (MGFA I). The demographic and clinical characteristics, the diagnostic work-up as well as the treatment response during a follow-up period of 12–24 months are described in detail. All patients were treated successfully with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AcheI) and prednisone with two exhibiting full remission of their symptoms, while the remaining exhibited mild residual diplopia. Notably, we documented no signs of generalized disease progression, while no patient required immunosuppressive treatment. In conclusion, the distinct clinical phenotype of our patients highlights the clinical relevance of screening for LRP4-antibodies in patients presenting with isolated ocular MG independent of age and gender, since it may lead to the timely diagnosis of MG and prompt initiation of effective therapy with ACheI and corticosteroids.

The effect of high versus low loading on bone strength in middle life

While bone mass and geometry are largely genetically determined, mechanical loading is considered to be an important additional determinant. This study investigates to what extent very high mechanical loading begun at a young age and sustained afterward can affect tibia bone mass and geometry in middle age. Cohorts from a common ethnic background, with a history of very high and very low tibia bone loading based on an assessment of their activities according their strain levels were compared. The study hypothesis was that the tibia bone density and geometric strength parameters would be greater in the high bone loading cohort.Subjects from a group of elite infantry recruits who sustained a 31% incidence of stress fractures during their basic training in 1983, were reviewed 25years later. The tibia bone strength of 25 of these soldiers, 11 of whom had sustained stress fractures, was compared to a group of 20 subjects who received exemption from military service in 1982–5 because they were religious scholars and who continued these studies afterwards. Anthropometric measurements were made. The bone density and geometric strength of the tibia was assessed by quantitative computerized tomography (QCT). The average daily dietary intake and metabolic expenditure of subjects were assessed by questionnaires.At the 25year follow-up soldiers were on an average 3cm taller than the religious scholars (p=0.02) and had lower abdominal girths (p=0.03). There was no difference in the tibia cortical density between cohorts in spite of the fact that the religious scholars had lower daily calcium intakes (p=0.02). Soldiers had stronger tibias based on geometric engineering criteria. The mean area moments of inertia (p=0.02, p=0.04) and polar moments of inertia (p=0.02) were 16% larger in the soldier cohort. By multivariate regression analysis greater height, weight and daily energy expenditure were related to larger bone geometric strength parameters. According to semipartial eta-square analysis, between 39% to 45% of the variance in the area moments of inertia between the cohorts was attributable to these three parameters. The religious scholars burned less calories daily, principally because they did no sport activity (p=0.001). There was no difference in tibia bone strength parameters between soldiers who did and did not sustain stress fractures in their 1983 basic training.In conclusion, in a middle age population with a common ethnic origin, the high bone loading cohort had stronger tibias than the low bone loading cohort based on larger geometric strength properties and not because of higher cortical density. In spite of being at the extremes of the bone loading spectra, the tibia area moment of inertia of the two cohorts in this study differed by only 16%, with part of this difference attributable to factors other than bone loading. We do not know for sure if the difference in the geometric properties is related to high bone loading or whether people with stronger bones are more likely to engage in high bone loading. Healthy male subjects who sustained stress fractures at a young age do not have weaker tibias at middle age according to QCT measurements.

The Muslim Minority of Western Thrace in Greece: An Internal Positive or an Internal Negative “Other”?

The signing of the Treaty of Lausanne, the main bilateral agreement for the protection of Greek and Muslim minorities, hallmarks the onset of a bilateral conflict between Greece and Turkey. Together with tackling the issues of the Aegean and Cyprus, the question of the Muslim minority in Greece impedes the normalization of Greek–Turkish diplomatic relations in recent decades. The state of affairs of the Muslim community in Western Thrace has been labeled as an extremely sensitive issue within the political scene. Drawing upon Pille Petersoo's typology this paper introduces the notion of “negative and positive Others” to explore its role in Greek nationalist discourse. The main minority political, cultural and religious claims are also discussed, emphasizing minority's most prominent political claim, the recognition of its ethnic Turkish identity. The paper argues that the historical and political conditions as well as the common ethnic background of a minority group with a kin-state, have nurtured the formation and expression of an internal negative “Other”. However, new dynamics have promoted the reconstruction of the role of otherness in Greek national identity.

Essential polyunsaturated fatty acid and lipid peroxide levels in never-medicated and medicated schizophrenia patients

Background Reduced levels of membrane essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (EPUFAs) and increased levels of lipid peroxidation products (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances; TBARS) have been observed in chronic medicated schizophrenics. The relationship of EPUFA and TBARS to psychopathology is unclear, since their levels may be altered differentially by duration of illness and antipsychotic treatment. To minimize these confounds, their levels were compared among never-medicated patients in early illness, medicated patients and control subjects with similar lifestyle and common ethnic background. Methods RBC membrane EPUFAs, plasma TBARS, and various dimensions of psychopathology were measured using established procedures in never-medicated ( n = 20) and medicated ( n= 32) schizophrenia patients and in control subjects ( n= 45). Results Reduced levels of EPUFAs, particularly arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), were found in never-medicated compared with control subjects; however, the reductions in levels of both AA and DHA were much smaller in medicated versus never-medicated patients; AA levels were similar to levels in control subjects. Only DHA levels were significantly reduced in medicated patients. Lower membrane AA levels were associated with increased levels of plasma TBARS in never-medicated patients. Lower levels of membrane EPUFAs and higher levels of plasma TBARS were associated with the severe symptoms in never-medicated versus medicated patients. Conclusions Data indicate that reduced EPUFAs and increased TBARS exist in never-medicated patients, and these measures correlate with the severity of psychopathology indicating that the membrane EPUFA status may reflect the outcome of schizophrenia.

Clinical and genetic studies of 3 large, consanguineous, Algerian families with Mal de Meleda.

Mal de Meleda (MIM 248300), also referred to as keratosis palmoplantaris transgrediens of Siemens, is a rare autosomal recessive skin disorder with a prevalence in the general population of 1 in 100,000. The main clinical characteristics are transgressive palmoplantar keratoderma, hyperhidrosis, and perioral erythema, but there are also associated features such as brachydactyly, nail abnormalities, and lichenoid plaques. We studied the clinical and genetic characteristics of 3 large, consanguineous, Algerian families, including 14 affected individuals. Homozygosity mapping of the third family confirmed localization of the responsible gene to 8qter in all 3 families. Although some differences in phenotypic expression among subjects were noted, genetic analysis of the 3 families who shared a common ethnic background indicated that a single gene is responsible for mal de Meleda in this population.

Molecular characterization of myophosphorylase deficiency in a group of patients from Northern Italy

We studied a group of 14 patients from Northern Italy with myophosphorylase deficiency. The disease presented considerable clinical and biochemical heterogeneity, which was reflected at the molecular level. The clinical presentation was typical in 3 patients, mild in 7 (exercise intolerance), and severe in 4 (fixed weakness). Enzyme activity was undetectable in 10 patients, below 3% of control in 3, and 13% of control in one. Enzymatic protein was detectable immunologically only in 1 patient. Myophosphorylase mRNA was present in 8 patients, but in 7 of them it was reduced in amount. Two patients were homozygous for the common nonsense R49X mutation, 5 were heterozygous. Two missense mutations not previously observed were identified in this group of patients. The frequency of alleles with the R49X mutation was significantly lower in this group of patients than in previously reported series. Myophosphorylase deficiency is genetically heterogeneous even among patients living in a small region and with a common ethnic background.

A Hypothesis Regarding the Origins of Ethnic Discrimination

This article develops an explanation for ethnic discrimination based on what can be called “social decoding.” It is hypothesized that humans have developed unique cognitive skills for discerning situations in which others will behave in a self-interested opportunistic fashion. However, these cognitive skills, like the human ability to acquire language, are effectuated by environmental programming. Consequently, people will be able to decode accurately only when dealing with others of similar type. From this it follows that when selecting the “best” candidate from several populations each of which contain a large number of people, an individual will almost certainly end up choosing someone from the population that she or he can more accurately decode. Therefore, assuming that a common ethnic background is associated with more accurate decoding, people will appear to discriminate in favor of others who are ethnically similar. Ironically, this “discrimination” arises because people cannot discriminate as accurately when dealing with members of a dissimilar population.

The "American Creed" and American Identity: the Limits of Liberal Citizenship in the United States

IN 1915, President Woodrow Wilson told group of newly naturalized citizens that they had just sworn allegiance no one, only to a great ideal, to great body of principles, to great hope of the human race (Harrington 1980: 678). The view of citizenship Wilson thus expressed has distinguished historic lineage, recently reaffirmed by Samuel P. Huntington. In Politics: The Promise of Disharmony, he maintains that for most nations, identity is the product of long process of historical evolution involving common ancestors, common experiences, common ethnic background, common language, common culture, and usually common religion.' But citing an impressive list of authorities, Huntington argues that the United States is different. civic identity has been based on ideas, on shared allegiance to the American Creed of liberal democracy (Huntington 1981: 23). Huntington, like most of his authorities, also implies that this is more or less the way it should be.2 He believes that whenever the United States becomes severely divided, the nation's liberal democratic ideals serve to restore unity more inclusively than focus on common ancestors, language, or religion would permit (1981: 230-31). Many past and present critics of liberalism agree with Huntington that political culture is overwhelmingly liberal, but they dispute his normative judgment. They contend that public philosophy and public law which strive to rest national political identity simply on acceptance of liberal principles reflect thin, one-sided conception of the human personality. Liberal pol-

Old Age Relief Policy Prior to 1900: The trend Toward Restrictiveness

Abstract. Between the 17th and the 19th centuries old age relief policy in America became increasingly restrictive. One indication of this was the trend toward greater emphasis on the almsbouse as opposed to “outdoor relief” and other noninstitutional alternatives. This trend can be accounted for, in part, by the emerging market economy and the ideological concomitants of this change. Another important factor was the influx of immigrants who did not share a common ethnic background with those who had come during the colonial era. Environmental factors such as the abundance of land and the physical dangers associated with frontier life also had a major impact on the way in which English ideas about poor relief were adapted and how these policies evolved over the years. These differences led to an even stronger commitment to an ideology of individualism than in England.

American Indian Literature

The topic of my discussion is American literature in the 1980s, with some predictions for its future. I will begin with aspects of the traditional literature as it is the basis for analyzing modem American literature. From this premise, I contend that American writers in the 1980s project tribal ethos, regional identity, and their cultural heritage to relate experiences in a modem context. American literature has a unique characteristic in that it does not originate from any one national ethnic group such as Jewish, Chicano, Puerto Rican, and black writers project. Although the misnomer Indian implies that America's aborigines have a common ethnic background, that is not the consensus among most Native Americans. Rather, individuals of American heritage do not identify with any national ethnic group; instead, individuals identify with one or more tribes in accordance with their parents' lineage, and in some instances, identify more specifically with village and band, such as in the Pueblo societies. It is essential, therefore, in any discussion about American literature in the context of ethnicity that it be viewed as a multi-ethnic literature. Without seeming redundant, yet for clarification I point out that American literature falls into two categories: traditional oral literature and modern fiction. As scholars of Studies also know, the oral literature in the indigenous languages was recorded in the Bureau of American Ethnology series published by the Smithsonian Institution in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by anthropologists and ethnologists. Ritual narratives and poetic chants, folk tales, legends, and origin stories, usually classified as folklore in general among academicians in American Studies, were transcribed from informants giving oral renditions and then translated by renowned anthropologists. It is generally accepted in the 1980s, however, that many of the translations are crude renditions of the originals. Yet in the recent past, many of the translations, especially poetic songs, were extracted from the B.A.E. text and published in anthologies for students of American literature. Naturally when the literature was lifted out of its significant cultural context, which in some instances was structured for ceremonial purposes, then the excerpts appeared trite or crudely vague, which also distorted the esthetic quality. The reaction to