Group Identity Research Articles

Us, them and we: How national and human identifications influence adolescents' ethnic prejudice.

Although there have been numerous studies on the relations between group identification and ethnic prejudice, it is less clear whether their associations reflect stable individual tendencies or rather situational or temporal fluctuations. This longitudinal multilevel study aimed to fill this gap by examining the between- and within-person associations of identification with the national and superordinate human groups and levels of prejudice against multiple ethnic minorities. A total of 883 Italian majority adolescents (Mage = 15.66, SD = 1.15 at T1, 49.7% females) completed questionnaires at four time points over the course of 1 year. Results showed that national identification was related to more prejudice at the between-person level but to decreases in prejudice at the within-person level. Additionally, human identification contributed to lower levels of and steeper decreases in prejudice at both the between- and within-person levels. Common and unique associations also emerged across different ethnic minority targets, but only for between-person effects. Overall, this study highlights the importance of distinguishing stable individual levels and momentary fluctuations of both ingroup identifications and ethnic prejudice in order to orient future interventions aimed at improving the quality of intergroup relationships.

Imagined otherness fuels blatant dehumanization of outgroups

Dehumanization of others has been attributed to institutional processes that spread dehumanizing norms and narratives, as well as to individuals’ denial of mind to others. We propose that blatant dehumanization also arises when people actively contemplate others’ minds. We introduce the construct of imagined otherness—perceiving that a prototypical member of a social group construes an important facet of the social world in ways that diverge from the way most humans understand it—and argue that such attributions catalyze blatant dehumanization beyond the effects of general perceived difference and group identification. Measuring perceived schematic difference relative to the concept of America, we examine how this measure relates to the tendency of U.S. Republicans and Democrats to blatantly dehumanize members of the other political party. We report the results of two pre-registered studies—one correlational (N = 771) and one experimental (N = 398)—that together lend support for our theory. We discuss implications of these findings for research on social boundaries, political polarization, and the measurement of meaning.

On the Defensive: Identity, Language, and Partisan Reactions to Political Scandal.

We investigated how individuals judge politicians embroiled in scandal. Drawing on social identity and realistic group conflict theory, we predicted that beyond an overall ingroup bias, partisans would be particularly forgiving of in-party politicians who denied or justified their misconduct rather than apologize for it. By insisting that they did nothing wrong, these politicians defend the public image of their party and signal their commitment to partisan goals. We find qualified support for this prediction across three experiments. Participants did not respond negatively to in-party politicians who apologized but did react more positively to those who denied or justified wrongdoing (relative to silence). These accounts worked only for in-party politicians and were more effective for those whose misconduct furthered their party's agenda or whose seat was high-status or pivotal for party goals. In intergroup contexts like politics, people may accept explanations for misconduct that they would otherwise find offensive.

Charging Aggression as a Crime against Humanity? Revisiting the Proposal after Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

Abstract Much discussion over Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine focuses on the inability to charge aggression. However, another approach might be available: charging this under the ICC crimes against humanity (CAH) residual clause. First proposed in 2010 by Benjamin Ferencz, who lamented the circumscribed reach of aggression under the ‘Kampala Compromise’, the proposal has met with scepticism, primarily given that textbook aggression targets military forces, not civilians. Yet, civilian populations disproportionately bear the brunt of the violence of modern aggression (often being its direct targets). Russia's 2022 invasion is but the most recent and compelling example. Thus, this article resuscitates Ferencz's proposal, arguing that Russian leaders could be charged with using illegal force as a CAH under the residual clause. This approach would have practical advantages: initiating aggression in the Kremlin links liability to Putin much more directly for killing Ukrainian civilians, and charging it as CAH opens human victims to ICC participation and reparations. There are theoretical advantages, too, with utilitarian/retributive objectives better satisfied. Moreover, Ferencz's approach is better than recently proposed alternatives: using aggression merely as a gravity/liability modes/sentencing enhancer or alleging breach of the right to self-determination as the residual clause gravamen (arguably creating problems with victim group identification).

Motivational drivers and Sense of Belonging: unpacking the persistence in Chinese Martial Arts practice among international practitioners

BackgroundChinese Martial Arts (CMAs) have garnered a global following, with their rich historical and cultural heritage transcending geographical and cultural differences, sparking profound interest among an international community. As an increasing number of non-Chinese individuals persist in practicing CMAs, investigating the motivations behind their continued participation has emerged as a compelling question. This study aims to delve deeper into the factors driving international practitioners to sustain their practice of CMAs, thereby broadening our understanding of the global resonance of CMAs.MethodsEmploying Self-Determination Theory, 226 international CMAs practitioners completed the Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale, Perceived Belonging Scale, and Persistence in Practicing CMAs Scale. SPSS 20.0 was utilized for conducting descriptive statistics, common method bias tests, and correlation analyses. Structural equation modeling was performed using AMOS 26.0.ResultsMotivation for Practicing CMAs, comprised of enjoyment, mastery, physical condition, psychological condition, and appearance, has a positive impact on Persistence in Practicing CMAs (β = 0.297, p < 0.01). Sense of Belonging also positively affects Persistence in Practicing CMAs (β = 0.268, p < 0.01). The aforementioned variables account for 22.1% of the variance in Persistence in Practicing CMAs. Furthermore, Affiliation, Competition/Ego, and Others’ Expectations were found to have no significant correlation with Persistence in Practicing CMAs.ConclusionThe formation of persistence in the practice of CMAs among international practitioners is propelled by their ongoing desire for skill mastery, enjoyment, enhanced physical and mental health, body shape improvement, and a Sense of Belonging. The study reveals that a stronger motivation and Sense of Belonging significantly enhance their commitment to CMAs. Recommendations include that international instructors should center their teaching strategies around the practitioners, helping them to find joy in their practice, achieve skill mastery, and foster the development of physical, mental, and aesthetic qualities, alongside virtues and etiquette. Additionally, building a supportive CMAs community and cultivating a sense of ritual are essential. Such strategies are intended to reinforce practitioners’ self-affirmation and group identity, thus boosting their Sense of Belonging and encouraging their continued engagement in CMAs.

A nomogram to predict the risk of venous thromboembolism in patients with colon cancer in China.

To create a nomogram for predicting the likelihood of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in colon cancer patients from China. The data of colon cancer patients from Chongqing University Cancer Hospital between 2019 and 2022 were analyzed. Patients were divided into training set and internal validation set by random split-sample method in a split ratio of 7:3. The univariable and multivariable logistic analysis gradually identified the independent risk factors for VTE. A nomogram was created using all the variables that had a significance level of p < 0.05 in the multivariable logistic analysis and those with clinical significance. Calibration curves and clinical decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to assess model's fitting performance and clinical value. Harrell's C-index (concordance statistic) and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) were used to evaluate the predictive effectiveness of models. A total of 1996 patients were ultimately included. There were 1398 patients in the training set and 598 patients in the internal validation set. The nomogram included age, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, hypertension, activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, platelet, absolute lymphocyte count, and D-dimer. The C-index of nomogram and Khorana score were 0.754 (95% CI 0.711-0.798), 0.520 (95% CI 0.477-0.563) in the training cohort and 0.713 (95% CI 0.643-0.784), 0.542 (95% CI 0.473-0.612) in the internal validation cohort. We have established and validated a nomogram to predict the VTE risk of colon cancer patients in China, which encompasses a diverse age range, a significant population size, and various clinical factors. It facilitates the identification of high-risk groups and may enable the implementation of targeted preventive measures.

“Fighting Pirates” as a Paradigm

This article analyzes the emergence of the paradigm of “piracy” and “fighting pirates” among the urban elites of the Hanse city of Lübeck in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. While recent studies of maritime conflict management in this period have questioned the use of the term “piracy,” this study shows that towns such as Lübeck instrumentalized a discourse on “piracy” to criminalize and marginalize their competitors at a moment of structural economic change. A close reading of the records of the Lübeck Bergenfahrer, a guild of merchants trading to Norway, demonstrates how this concept was mobilized to justify actors’ own violence as a struggle against so-called pirates and thus to stabilize group identities. The notion of “fighting pirates” gradually became a paradigm for urban elites like the Bergenfahrer, representing their social coherence as communities of violence.

Bioactive compositions and identification of functional groups of selected medicinal plants

Medicinal plants, either as standardized extracts or in their pure forms, offer countless propects for new drug leads and also possess a good range of nutritional benefits due to the presence of bioactive organic chemical compounds called phytochemicals that act as a defense against a variety of diseases. This study focus was to investigate the bioactive compounds, and identification of functional groups of three medicinal plants; Monodora myristica, Parkia biglobosa, and Azadirachta indica. The solvents used were methanol, water and ethanol respectively. Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) assay was used for the analysis of bioactive compounds and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) method was used for the identification of functional groups in the plant extracts. Results revealed several bioactive compounds at different peaks that were confirmed by their retention time, compound name, structure and percentage composition. FTIR analysis revealed different functional groups with distinct characteristic wave numbers, peak intensity, peak shape and bonds in the plant extracts. Among the identified phytocompounds of Monodora myristica, phenol, dodecanoic acid, hexadecane, n-hexadecanoic acid, 1-octadecene, and 1-eicosanol possess antioxidant property. Similarly, some of the identified phytocompounds of Parkia biglobosa; dodecanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid, 9-octadecene, naphthalene, 3-eicosene and n-hexadecanoic acid possess antioxidant property. Likewise, Hexadecane, hexadecenoic acid, 3-eicosene and n-hexadecanoic acid are phytocompounds of Azadirachta indica with antioxidant property. This study demonstrated these plants as a great source of naturally occurring bioactive compounds with therapeutic value, which supports their application in medicine to treat a variety of diseases.

Bonding, Bridging and Linking: Involvement of Former Convicts in the Management of Terrorism Countermeasures Strategies

This research aims to analyze how former convicts can contribute to the strategic management of countering criminal acts of terrorism. This research uses the concepts of bonding, bridging, and linking as dimensions of social capital offered by Robert Putnam (2020). Data processing was carried out using in-depth interviews supported by observations of the convict development program. This research shows that former convicts can create a sense of togetherness and group identity, understand alternative narratives in religion and society, and build positive relations with the state as an organization among other convicts. From this research, it is concluded that the involvement of former convicts in the deradicalization program has a positive impact, so its implementation needs to be mainstreamed in implementing the deradicalization program.

A case study of family language policy in interaction with mainstream and minority language education among Mongolian families

ABSTRACT In the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (henceforth IMAR) of China, children of bilingual parents are increasingly becoming monolingual in the socially dominant language – Mandarin. Mongolian language, representing the unique culture and identity of Mongolian ethnic groups, is facing a decline in usage within the family setting. This case study investigates the Family Language Policy (henceforth FLP) and its interaction with mainstream and minority language education through observations, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires with two distinct groups. Group 1 demonstrates the contemporary implementations and challenges of FLP among 5 bilingual parents and Group 2 offers the historical perspectives of 9 bilingual adults with their retrospective account of childhood language experiences. Through comparing the two groups, we identified the critical role of FLP in supporting the development of children's minority languages. We also uncovered challenges and inconsistencies that parents encountered in implementing FLP. These issues stem from a variety of factors, including economic, sociocultural, and political influences, as well as individual factors, such as expectations and language experiences from both parents and children.

THE WAR IN UKRAINE AND A SOCIAL POLICY: SOCIAL SERVICES IN UKRAINE UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF MARTIAL LAW

The article concerns the issue of providing social services under martial law in Ukraine.The system of social services in modern Ukraine has a complex organizational structure, the main stages of the genesis and development of the social services system in the years 1991–2023 have been identified and characterized. Particular attention has been given to innovations in the social sphere, caused by the adoption of the new law of Ukraine „On social services”, which entered into force on January 1, 2020. The article defines the specificity of the functioning of the system of providing social services under the conditions of martial law in Ukraine. As a result of the decentralization reform in Ukraine, new territorial communities were created, which are now building their own system of providing social services, considering the needs of various population groups. The analysis of the researched issues has allowed for the identification of basic groups of recipients of social services during the martial law period and groups of children requiring specialized social services.

Factors contributing to the loss of Ngoni language: A case of Chipata District in Eastern Province, Zambia

Overview: This journal article analyzed the factors contributing to the loss of Ngoni language in a case of Chipata district of Eastern province in Zambia. The paper explored how Chingoni, a language of the conquering Ngoni, who controlled political, social and economic power could not maintain their language instead lost out to Chitumbuka and Chichewa, the languages of the conquered Tumbuka and Chewa respectively, as a language of everyday communication to the extent of being moribund. Contribution to the Body of Knowledge: Since language is usually considered to be a marker of identity, the link between the Ngoni identity and Chingoni was also explored and concluded that language is not a sine qua non ingredient of group identity. Methods: This study employed a mixed-methods approach, to understand why and how the Ngoni lost language by combining historical analysis, case studies, and interviews with key stakeholders, including traditional leaders, language teachers, civic leaders, scholars, and domains such as hospitals, schools, police stations. Data was obtained by means of interviews and questionnaires. The sample consisted of 148 respondents. frequency, tables and percentages were used to analyze qualitative and quantitative data obtained. Data was then analyzed manually in some cases and also, a combination of software MS Access and MS Excel. Results: The findings revealed that, the Ngoni language loss was due to unwritten records: The Ngoni mother tongue language could not be sustained because there is no single novel, bible, magazine, dictionary, newspaper, or any book, journal article found which is written in Ngoni language. Recommendation: In order to improve and address this challenge in Zambia, the present study recommended establishment of Ngoni Community Radio Station (NCRS) to be publishing Ngoni language lessons to the community.

Differences in medically assisted reproduction use by sexual identity and partnership: a prospective cohort of cisgender women.

Does medically assisted reproduction (MAR) use among cisgender women differ among those with same-sex partners or lesbian/bisexual identities compared to peers with different-sex partners or heterosexual identities? Women with same-sex partners or lesbian/bisexual identities are more likely to utilize any MAR but are no more likely to use ART (i.e. IVF, reciprocal IVF, embryo transfer, unspecified ART, ICSI, and gamete or zygote intrafallopian transfer) compared to non-ART MAR (i.e. IUI, ovulation induction, and intravaginal or intracervical insemination) than their different-sex partnered and completely heterosexual peers. Sexual minority women (SMW) form families in myriad ways, including through fostering, adoption, genetic, and/or biological routes. Emerging evidence suggests this population increasingly wants to form genetic and/or biological families, yet little is known about their family formation processes and conception needs. The Growing Up Today Study is a US-based prospective cohort (n = 27805). Participants were 9-17 years of age at enrollment (1996 and 2004). Biennial follow-up is ongoing, with data collected through 2021. Cisgender women who met the following criteria were included in this sample: endorsed ever being pregnant; attempted a pregnancy in 2019 or 2021; and endorsed either a male- or female-sex partner OR responded to questions regarding their sexual identity during their conception window. The main outcome was any MAR use including ART (i.e. procedures involving micromanipulation of gametes) and non-ART MAR (i.e. nonmanipulation of gametes). Secondary outcomes included specific MAR procedures, time to conception, and trends across time. We assessed differences in any MAR use using weighted modified Poisson generalized estimating equations. Among 3519 participants, there were 6935 pregnancies/pregnancy attempts and 19.4% involved MAR. A total of 47 pregnancies or pregnancy attempts were among the same-sex partnered participants, while 91 were among bisexual participants and 37 among lesbian participants. Participants with same-sex, compared to different-sex partners were almost five times as likely to use MAR (risk ratio [95% CI]: 4.78 [4.06, 5.61]). Compared to completely heterosexual participants, there was greater MAR use among lesbian (4.00 [3.10, 5.16]) and bisexual (2.22 [1.60, 3.07]) participants compared to no MAR use; mostly heterosexual participants were also more likely to use ART (1.42 [1.11, 1.82]) compared to non-ART MAR. Among first pregnancies conceived using MAR, conception pathways differed by partnership and sexual identity groups; differences were largest for IUI, intravaginal insemination, and timed intercourse with ovulation induction. From 2002 to 2021, MAR use increased proportionally to total pregnancies/pregnancy attempts; ART use was increasingly common in later years among same-sex partnered and lesbian participants. Our results are limited by the small number of SMW, the homogenous sample of mostly White, educated participants, the potential misclassification of MAR use when creating conception pathways unique to SMW, and the questionnaire's skip logic, which excluded certain participants from receiving MAR questions. Previous studies on SMW family formation have primarily focused on clinical outcomes from ART procedures and perinatal outcomes by conception method, and have been almost exclusively limited to European, clinical samples that relied on partnership data only. Despite the small sample of SMW within a nonrepresentative study, this is the first study to our knowledge to use a nonclinical sample of cisgender women from across the USA to elucidate family formation pathways by partnership as well as sexual identity, including pathways that may be unique to SMW. This was made possible by our innovative approach to MAR categorization within a large, prospective dataset that collected detailed sexual orientation data. Specifically, lesbian, bisexual, and same-sex partnered participants used both ART and non-ART MAR at similar frequencies compared to heterosexual and different-sex partnered participants. This may signal differential access to conception pathways owing to structural barriers, emerging conception trends as family formation among SMW has increased, and a need for conception support beyond specialized providers and fertility clinics. The research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), under award number R01MD015256. Additionally, KRSS is supported by NCI grant T32CA009001, AKH by the NCI T32CA057711, PC by the NHLBI T32HL098048, BM by the Stanford Maternal Child Health Research Institute Clinical Trainee Support Grant and the Diversity Fellowship from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Research Institute, BGE by NICHD R01HD091405, and SM by the Thomas O. Pyle Fellowship through the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Harvard University, NHLBI T32HL098048, NIMH R01MH112384, and the William T. Grant Foundation grant number 187958. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The first author recently had a leadership role in the not-for-profit program, The Lesbian Health Fund, a research fund focused on improving the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ women and girls. The fund did not have any role in this study and the author's relationship with the fund did not bias the findings of this manuscript. N/A.

Trump Goes to Tulsa on Juneteenth: Placing the Study of Identity, Social Groups, and Power at the Center of Political Communication Research

ABSTRACT The increase in elites’ use of racial appeals has compelled some scholars of political communication to tell a more comprehensive story about political identity in the United States and elsewhere around the world . This occurred alongside the field of communication’s , and subfield of political communication’s , longstanding failures to develop a racial analytic – a clear reflection of the field’s overwhelming whiteness. In this forum essay, we contextualize and review some strains of new literature on identity in political communication, with a focus especially on the U.S. context and the intersection of race and political power. Our aim is to call attention to what we see as an emerging approach to centering power, identity, and social groups in the field. These works are diverse theoretically and methodologically, and their authors may or may not recognize themselves as doing work in political communication at all. But we see tremendous value in what they share analytically, substantively, and normatively, and aim to mark the emergence and – we hope – flourishing of this work.

Insights into the dynamic symphony: a comprehensive computational exploration of pure and fluorinated 6O.6 liquid crystals with the help of DFT analysis

ABSTRACT This article is based on the Density Functional Theory (DFT) simulations approach to examine the structural and vibrational behaviour of pure 6O.6 and fluorinated 6O.6 liquid crystalline compounds. The molecular interactions of the molecules were investigated by their optimised molecular structure. Identification of significant functional groups and their dynamic behaviours are made with the help of vibrational frequencies obtained through DFT calculations. Vibrational Energy Distribution Analysis (VEDA) software was used to perform the Potential Energy Distribution (PED) function of FT-IR and Raman spectra. Furthermore, changes in vibrational peaks provide insight into structural modifications. This investigation mainly focused on analysing the different reactivity, thermodynamic parameters and non-linear optical (NLO) properties of the compounds. This also helps to open a new path for further investigations into optoelectronic applications and molecular dynamics.

Exploring the effect of concentration on hydrothermally synthesized mesoporous spherical nanoflowers of bismuth tungstate for hybrid supercapacitor and water-splitting applications

This paper describes how the synergistic effect of concentration changes the electrode conductivity and enhances the electrochemical and electrocatalytic activities of bismuth tungstate nanoflowers (BWO NFs). This research mainly aims to develop mesoporous spherical BWO NFs using a hydrothermal route. The structural analysis of the BWO NFs revealed the presence of an orthorhombic phase with a regular atomic arrangement. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the different BWO NFs samples had nonuniform spherical NFs, which play an important role in supercapacitor and electrocatalytic applications. The identification of functional groups and stretching–bending vibrations of Bi–W–O bonds are revealed by FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy respectively. Additionally, the transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the morphological, structural, and electronic states of the BWO NFs. Furthermore, the supercapacitive and electrocatalytic activity of BWO–nickel foam (NF) electrodes were investigated using an aqueous 1 M KOH electrolyte. The results revealed that the BWO-2 electrode exhibited an improved specific capacity (Csp) of (647 F/g) 72 mAh/g and excellent capacitive retention of 81 % over 5000 cycles. An asymmetrical hybrid device was fabricated using a two-electrode cell with BWO–NF and reduced graphene oxide acting as the positive and negative electrodes, respectively. The device demonstrated favorable electrochemical properties: a Csp of 52 mAh/g at 5 mV/s as well as a Csp of 46 mAh/g, the highest energy density of 32 Wh/kg, and the highest power density of 2330 W/kg at 5 mA/cm2. Furthermore, the BWO NFs were investigated for water-splitting activity, and the BWO-2 electrode was found to exhibit better electrocatalytic performance (overpotential: 328 mV, Tafel slope: 80.9 mV/dec, and electrochemical surface area: 41.2 cm2) and stability than the other electrodes. The designed asymmetric structure offers a suitable cathode material for energy storage and electrocatalytic applications.

Electronic Control of Polyproline II Helix Stability via the Identity of Acyl Capping Groups: the Pivaloyl Group Particularly Promotes PPII.

The type II polyproline helix (PPII) is a fundamental secondary structure of proteins. PPII is stabilized in part by n®p* interactions between consecutive carbonyls, via electron delocalization between an electron-donor carbonyl lone pair (n) and an electron-acceptor carbonyl (p*) on the subsequent residue. We previously demonstrated that changes to the electronic properties of the acyl donor can predictably modulate the strength of n®p* interactions, with data from model compounds, in solution in chloroform, in the solid state, and computationally. Herein, we examined whether the electronic properties of acyl capping groups could modulate the stability of PPII in peptides in water. In X-PPGY-NH2 peptides (X = 10 acyl capping groups), the effect of acyl group identity on PPII was quantified by circular dichroism and NMR spectroscopy. Electron-rich acyl groups promoted PPII relative to the standard acetyl (Ac-) group, with the pivaloyl and iso-butyryl groups most significantly increasing PPII. In contrast, acyl derivatives with electron-withdrawing substituents and the formyl group relatively disfavored PPII. Similar results, though lesser in magnitude, were also observed in X-APPGY-NH2 peptides, indicating that the capping group can impact PPII conformation at both proline and non-proline residues. The pivaloyl group was particularly favorable in promoting PPII.

Levels of microbial diversity affect the stability and function of dark fermentation bioreactors

Climate change and pollution drive the need for fossil fuel alternatives. Dark fermentation offers promise through the use of microbial consortia to convert organic matter into hydrogen gas. Persisting challenges like instability and low yields may stem from reduced diversity of the anaerobic digestion communities that serve as inoculum and undergo aggressive pretreatments and culturing conditions. This study explores the impact of diversity loss on function, focusing on biogas production and stability. Two treatments, with and without aggressive pretreatment, were tested on 12 replicate bioreactors each, resulting in differing microbial diversity levels. Microbial communities were assessed via 16S amplicon sequencing, monitoring biogas production, volatile fatty acids, and testing invasion susceptibility. The two treatments exhibited divergent assembly and functional trajectories, although replicates within each treatment ultimately converged into similar compositions and stable levels of biogas production. Heat-treated bioreactors showed a 91.5% biogas increase but exhibited higher invasion susceptibility compared to non-treated. Non-treated bioreactors showed unique species associations with biogas production (e.g. Ethanoligenens harbinense and Enterococcus olivae), distinct from the commonly studied Clostridium group. These findings provide insights into the effects of diversity loss on stability, elucidating differences across taxonomic and functional stability as well as invasion susceptibility. Moreover, the identification of novel bacterial groups associated with hydrogen production suggests promising directions for future research to enhance microbial consortia control and design in dark fermentation.

Interactive exploration of adverse events and multimorbidity in CKD.

Persons with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk of adverse events, early mortality, and multimorbidity. A detailed overview of adverse event types and rates from a large CKD cohort under regular nephrological care is missing. We generated an interactive tool to enable exploration of adverse events and their combinations in the prospective, observational German CKD (GCKD) study. The GCKD study enrolled 5217 participants under regular nephrological care with an estimated glomerular filtration rate of 30-60 or >60mL/min/1.73m2 and an overt proteinuria. Cardio-, cerebro- and peripheral vascular, kidney, infection, and cancer events, as well as deaths were adjudicated following a standard operation procedure. We summarized these time-to-event data points for exploration in interactive graphs within an R shiny app. Multivariable adjusted Cox models for time to first event were fitted. Cumulative incidence functions, Kaplan-Meier curves and intersection plots were used to display main adverse events and their combinations by sex and CKD etiology. Over a median of 6.5 years, 10271 events occurred in total and 680 participants (13.0%) died while 2947 participants (56.5%) experienced any event. The new publicly available interactive platform enables readers to scrutinize adverse events and their combinations as well as mortality trends as a gateway to better understand multimorbidity in CKD: incident rates per 1000 patient-years varied by event type, CKD etiology, and baseline characteristics. Incidence rates for the most frequent events and their recurrence were 113.6 (cardiovascular), 75.0 (kidney), and 66.0 (infection). Participants with diabetic kidney disease and men were more prone to experiencing events. This comprehensive explorative tool to visualize adverse events (https://gckd.diz.uk-erlangen.de/), their combination, mortality, and multimorbidity among persons with CKD may manifest as a valuable resource for patient care, identification of high-risk groups, health services, and public health policy planning.

Healing Through Activism: Transformative Solidarity in a Japanese American Anti-Racism Movement

In the eight decades since World War II, Japanese Americans have come to understand what Black, Brown, and Indigenous groups in the United States have long understood: that the harm inflicted by exclusion, imprisonment, and family separation is not temporary. Trauma still lingers in survivors of American concentration camps as well as in their descendants. Moreover, the fractures created within and between identity groups by exploitative power structures have inhibited allyship across divisions of race, ethnicity, faith, nationality, and more. This article introduces Tsuru for Solidarity, a grassroots organization at the helm of the anti-racist movement that has caught fire among Japanese Americans nationally. Bearing the scars of past racial oppression, Tsuru for Solidarity combines nonviolent direct action, cross-community organizing, and Healing Circles for Change to advocate for currently targeted immigrant, asylum-seeking, Black, and Indigenous groups. Transformative Solidarity is a concept presented through the lens of Mohanty’s Feminist Solidarity framework (2003), in reference to the healing that Tsuru for Solidarity members have experienced by way of cross-community coalition building. Tsuru for Solidarity’s healing-through-activism approach is a promising model for transformative change in the current contexts of both amplified racial hostility and unprecedented cross-racial mobilization.