Group Identity Research Articles

Inequalities in wealth distribution within Imperial Assyrian graves

Across more than seven centuries (c. 1350–600 BC), the Assyrian Empire established political dominance and cultural influence over many settlements in the Ancient Near East. Assyrian policies of resource extraction, including taxation and tribute, have been extensively analysed in textual and art historical sources. This article assesses the impact of these policies on patterns of wealth within mortuary material—one of the most conservative forms of culture, deeply rooted in group identity. The author argues that a trend of decreasing quality and quantity of grave goods over time supports models emphasising the heavy economic burden of Assyrian administration on its subjects.

Language Maintenance and Shift in Multilingual Ecologies: A Case Study of Ethnic Minorities in Yunnan

This study aims to address the phenomenon of language maintenance and shift in multilingual ecologies, specifically the ethnic minority communities of Yunnan province in China. The case study focuses on language ecological issues, i.e., language use, language shift, and language preservation, which resulted from language contact and cultural contact between the dominant Chinese communities and the inferior minorities across the region of Yunnan. The smaller language groups have been overlooked in favour of the larger competing languages in previous research concerning linguistic dynamics in Yunnan. By analyzing and evaluating at language competency levels, usage patterns, and skill sets among speakers from the Chinese communities, this paper seeks to restate this omission. Through the integration of language ecology approaches, the survey on everyday use of language, attitudes and transition from questionnaires were analyzed quantitatively pertaining to the impact of evolving sociodemographic factors on language retention and change in the context of Chinese communities. In this study, data regarding linguistic habits were gathered by a questionnaire survey, skill levels, and repertoires within these communities. As part of the research approach, sociolinguistic background data, language repertoires, language usage patterns, and attitudes toward various languages were all examined. The study utilized qualitative data that was collected through semi-structured interviews through the Zoom online platform and direct observations. The research illustrated the dynamic relationship between individual agency and social cause that shapes language attitudes and behaviors of different actors. It is hoped that the research findings contribute to the understanding of linguistic diversity in China, particularly in contemporary multilingual settings which may serve as concrete evidence for policymakers to revitalize ehnic minority languages. The research implies that language change on the formation of individual, group and collective identity, social cohesion within a community, and cultural heritage preservation.

Enhancing Livestock Detection: An Efficient Model Based on YOLOv8

Maintaining a harmonious balance between grassland ecology and local economic development necessitates effective management of livestock resources. Traditional approaches have proven inefficient, highlighting an urgent need for intelligent solutions. Accurate identification of livestock targets is pivotal for precise livestock farming management. However, the You Only Look Once version 8 (YOLOv8) model exhibits limitations in accuracy when confronted with complex backgrounds and densely clustered targets. To address these challenges, this study proposes an optimized CCS-YOLOv8 (Comprehensive Contextual Sensing YOLOv8) model. First, we curated a comprehensive livestock detection dataset encompassing the Qinghai region. Second, the YOLOv8n model underwent three key enhancements: (1) incorporating a Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) to accentuate salient image information, thereby boosting feature representational power; (2) integrating a Content-Aware ReAssembly of FEatures (CARAFE) operator to mitigate irrelevant interference, improving the integrity and accuracy of feature extraction; and (3) introducing a dedicated small object detection layer to capture finer livestock details, enhancing the recognition of smaller targets. Experimental results on our dataset demonstrate the CCS-YOLOv8 model’s superior performance, achieving 84.1% precision, 82.2% recall, 84.4% mAP@0.5, 60.3% mAP@0.75, 53.6% mAP@0.5:0.95, and 83.1% F1-score. These metrics reflect substantial improvements of 1.1%, 7.9%, 5.8%, 6.6%, 4.8%, and 4.7%, respectively, over the baseline model. Compared to mainstream object detection models, CCS-YOLOv8 strikes an optimal balance between accuracy and real-time processing capability. Its robustness is further validated on the VisDrone2019 dataset. The CCS-YOLOv8 model enables rapid and accurate identification of livestock age groups and species, effectively overcoming the challenges posed by complex grassland backgrounds and densely clustered targets. It offers a novel strategy for precise livestock population management and overgrazing prevention, aligning seamlessly with the demands of modern precision livestock farming. Moreover, it promotes local environmental conservation and fosters sustainable development within the livestock industry.

Lifestyle predictors of colorectal cancer in European populations: a systematic review

BackgroundColorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most prevalent cancer in Europe, with one-fifth of cases attributable to unhealthy lifestyles. Risk prediction models for quantifying CRC risk and identifying high-risk groups...

Immuno-related cardiac toxicity in patients with cancer: A prospective study applying multiparametric cardiac MRI.

e24014 Background: Since Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) immunotherapy has emerged as a cornerstone of modern oncology, oncologists are facing a new spectrum of ‘immune-related adverse events’ (irAEs), potentially affecting every tissue and organ. ICI-induced symptomatic myocarditis occurs only in around 1% of ICI-treated patients (pts), but is fatal in 50% of cases. Methods: Pts undergoing ICI therapy at the Humanitas Cancer Center from May 2021 to December 2023 were prospectively recruited and assigned to three study groups: 1) ICI given as monotherapy (Mono) 2) ICI given in combination (Combo) 3) history of cardiac disease or two cardiological risk factors other than smoke (Cardio). Exclusion criteria were: previous exposure to any immunotherapy, combination with other cardiotoxic therapies, and acute (in the last 3 months) cardiac events. All pts underwent a complete cardiological assessment with clinical visit, 12-lead ECG, and multiparametric cardiac MRI (cMRI) at two time-points: prior initiation of the ICI therapy, and around 8 weeks later. Peripheral blood samples for immunophenotyping analyses were collected at the same time-points. cMRI scans were performed using a 1.5 Tesla scanner. Chi-square, Fisher exact and paired t-test were used to compare groups; all analyses were performed using SAS v9.4. Objectives of the study were: detection of subclinical cardiac damage and identification of groups of patients at major risk, who may benefit from cardiological pre- or/and on-treatment assessment. Results: We present data on the first 47 pts enrolled, diagnosed with a wide range of solid tumors, including 16 renal carcinoma, 11 melanoma and 3 NSCLC; 15 (32%), 16 (34%) and 16 (34%) pts were assigned to the Mono, Combo and Cardio group, respectively. Most pts (42, 89%) were treated with ICI for locally advanced/metastatic disease (26 as first-line therapy, 16 from second-line on), while 5 (11%) as adjuvant therapy. All pts received an anti-PD-(L)1, either as single agent (25, 53%) or in combination, with ICI plus a TKI being the most frequent combinatorial strategy (16; 34%). Overall, the cMRI analysis showed a statistically significant left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) reduction pre- versus post-ICI treatment (p < 0.001), with 18 (38%) pts experiencing a loss of > 3 points of LVEF. No statistically significant differences in LVEF reduction were observed considering the three different groups (p = 0.6), tumor types (p = 0.2), or occurrence of any grade non-cardiological irAEs (p = 0.6). Conclusions: Our study was able to show a statistically significant reduction in LVEF, with more than 3% LVEF loss in a clinically significant proportion of ICI-treated patients (18; 38%), not selected for suspected cardiac symptoms, warranting prospective evaluation to eventually identify pts at higher risk. The trial is continuing prospective enrollment and immunophenotyping analyses are ongoing.

Accuracy of Fasting Blood Glucose and Body Mass Index in Predicting Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in China.

Research suggests that lowering maternal morbidities associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) can be achieved with earlier risk group identification. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine potential markers for identifying first-trimester pregnant women who are at high risk for developing GDM. This was a retrospective cohort study. The pertinent maternal clinical data were retrieved prior to 13+6 weeks of gestation, and a binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify potential GDM predictors. The predictive accuracy was evaluated using the area below the receiver operating characteristics curves. In comparison to the control group, the GDM group had significantly higher mean values for age, body mass index (BMI), mean fasting blood glucose (FBG), and hemoglobin (p < 0.05). The Pearson's correlation coefficients indicated that the first-trimester FBG was significantly positively correlated with the second-trimester FBG. Higher FBG and BMI values were associated with an increased risk of developing GDM (odds ratio [OR] = 3.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.03-4.55 and OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.12-1.25). In terms of predicting GDM, the FBG parameter demonstrated the greatest area under the curve values (0.66), followed by the BMI parameter (0.69). For GDM prediction, the cut-off value for FBG was 4.32 mM, whereas that for BMI was 23.7 kg/m2. The first-trimester FBG and BMI could be utilized to predict gestational diabetes.

‘When will you go back to “real” police work?’ The liminal nature of victim support police officers

ABSTRACT Victim support police work involves a wide range of relations within a police force, including expectations that set this occupation as a hybrid or liminal position, between what’s commonly considered classic policing and social work. Between victims’ and other police officers’ expectations, their experience is dramatically affected by liminality, with deep effects regarding group identity, satisfaction, and wellbeing. Drawing from qualitative research among victim support officers from Catalonia’s Mossos d’Esquadra corps, this article analyses how victim support officers find themselves between specific police fields and expectations, and how this defines them as liminars or subjects of liminal positions, roles, and actions. This, in turn, we argue, makes them an uneasy object and subject for victims, other officers, and for their institutions.

Impact of doping on the Bridgman grown organic stilbene single crystal for third order NLO applications

Transparent 1, 3, 5-Triphenylbenzene doped Stilbene (TBS) single crystal was successfully grown by employing the Bridgman technique. SCXRD studies found crystallographic parameters, which reveal that the TBS single crystal has crystallized in a monoclinic crystal structure with the space group of P21/C. The identification of the functional groups in the TBS crystal was accomplished through the FTIR analysis. The UV–Vis spectral data shows that the TBS crystal exhibits minimal absorption across the visible spectrum, with a lower cutoff wavelength of 365 nm. The violet emission is observed at 380 and 405 nm in the fluorescence analysis. Additionally, the crystal's high quality was confirmed by a full width at half maximum value of 123 arcsec in the prominent rocking curve peak. Third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ(3) was determined to be 4.26 × 10−6 esu using the Z-scan technique. These are exciting findings that highlight the TBS crystal's suitability for various applications, including scintillation and optoelectronic device fabrication.

Comprehensive Identification and Characterization of HML-9 Group in Chimpanzee Genome.

Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are related to long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons, comprising gene sequences of exogenous retroviruses integrated into the host genome and inherited according to Mendelian law. They are considered to have contributed greatly to the evolution of host genome structure and function. We previously characterized HERV-K HML-9 in the human genome. However, the biological function of this type of element in the genome of the chimpanzee, which is the closest living relative of humans, largely remains elusive. Therefore, the current study aims to characterize HML-9 in the chimpanzee genome and to compare the results with those in the human genome. Firstly, we report the distribution and genetic structural characterization of the 26 proviral elements and 38 solo LTR elements of HML-9 in the chimpanzee genome. The results showed that the distribution of these elements displayed a non-random integration pattern, and only six elements maintained a relatively complete structure. Then, we analyze their phylogeny and reveal that the identified elements all cluster together with HML-9 references and with those identified in the human genome. The HML-9 integration time was estimated based on the 2-LTR approach, and the results showed that HML-9 elements were integrated into the chimpanzee genome between 14 and 36 million years ago and into the human genome between 18 and 49 mya. In addition, conserved motifs, cis-regulatory regions, and enriched PBS sequence features in the chimpanzee genome were predicted based on bioinformatics. The results show that pathways significantly enriched for ERV LTR-regulated genes found in the chimpanzee genome are closely associated with disease development, including neurological and neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders. In summary, the identification, characterization, and genomics of HML-9 presented here not only contribute to our understanding of the role of ERVs in primate evolution but also to our understanding of their biofunctional significance.

Code-Switching found in Nessie Judge’s Instagram Captions

The main goal of this research is to identify the types and to analyze the reasons of code-switching found in Nessie Judge's Instagram captions. This study focuses on the captions where both of Indonesian and English languages are alternated. The study employs both descriptive and qualitative approach. The analysis draws upon Poplack's theory (1980) to classify the types of code-switching present in the data, while Hoffman's theory (1991) is employed to examine the underlying reasons behind these language switch. Both formal and informal method employed in presenting the findings. The analysis reveals 18 data of inter-sentential Code-switching, 13 data of intra-sentential Code-switching, and 7 data of tag switching. The reasons for these Code-switching occurrences are diverse: talking about particular topic 37% of the instances, quoting someone's words 10%, expressing feeling about something accounts for 21%, interjections makes up 21%, repetition used for clarification constitutes 8% and expressing group identity represents 3%.

Covid and the common good: In-group out-group dynamics and Covid-19 vaccination in Wales and the United States

Vaccination is a social act, where benefits spill-over to third parties. How we approach such social decisions is influenced by whether likely beneficiaries share salient social identities with us. This study explores these dynamics using representative survey data from two contexts: national identity groups in Wales (N = 4187) and political partisans in America (N = 4864).In both cases, those in the minority in their local area were less likely to be vaccinated. In Wales, respondents who did not identify as Welsh were less likely to be vaccinated the greater the proportion of residents of their local area identified as Welsh. In America, the vaccination rate of Biden voters fell off more steeply than that of Trump voters as the proportion of Trump voters in their county increased. Results are robust to controlling for likely confounds and sensitivity analyses. In-group out-group dynamics help to shape important health decisions.

The likes that bind: Even novel opinion sharing can induce opinion-based identification.

Research has found that psychological groups based on opinion congruence are an important group type. Previous research constructed such groups around opinions potentially connected to pre-existing identities. We strip away the socio-structural context by using novel opinions to determine whether opinion congruence alone can be a category cue which can foster identification and whether such group identification mediates the relationship between opinion exposure and opinion polarization. We assess this across two pre-registered online interactive experiments. Study 1 (N = 1168) demonstrate that opinion congruence fostered stronger identity than minimal groups. Study 2 (N = 505) demonstrate that opinion congruence fostered stronger identification than non-opinion congruence. The relationship between opinion exposure and opinion polarization occurs through group identification in both. Results demonstrate that (novel) opinions can be self-categorization cues informing identification and influencing opinion polarization.

Polyester Platform with High Refractive Indices and Closed-Loop Recyclability from CO2, 1,3-Butadiene, and Thiols.

α-Ethylidene-δ-vinyl-δ-valerolactone (EVL) is the only intermediate to synthesize copolymers of CO2 with 1,3-butadiene whose ring-opening polymerization (ROP), however, is obstructed by the tiglate group. In the contribution, EVL derivatives are synthesized through a Michael addition reaction to saturate the conjugated double bond as well as introduce various groups to synthesize polyesters with designable molecular weights (Mn = 6.9-12.8 kg·mol-1), narrow dispersities (Đ = 1.08-1.19), tunable glass-transition temperatures (Tg = -45-3 °C), and excellent refractive indices (nd = 1.64-1.79) via living and controlled ROP. The obtained polyesters are able to be recycled to the corresponding monomers, which can prepare comparable polymers with identical side groups, realizing the homorecycling. In addition, the retro-Michael addition reaction is established and employed, realizing heterorecycling, which can alter properties during recycling. We propose a strategy for EVL derivatives and establish the corresponding polyester platform with not only high refractive indices and tunable Tgs, but also the ability to tailor properties during recycling.

You can’t do that on television (right now): Strike Force Five, late-night comedy, and audience engagement

ABSTRACT Given declining public trust in mainstream media outlets, late-night comedians are increasingly relied upon as trusted sources of political information. Connections with late-night hosts have taken on a personalized, psychological dimension and have even become a part of media users’ expression of social group identity. Understanding this dynamic, the research presents a thematic textual analysis of the twelve-plus hours of conversation and comic banter between Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver that aired across the twelve-episode run of the Fall 2023 podcast, Strike Force Five. Connecting with viewers during the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, the podcast presents a personalized view of the life of these five comedians as they dialogue about their families, the early days of their comedy careers, the history of late-night comedy programming, and their unique public friendship despite being cast by the media as competitors in the late-night ratings war. Analyzing the reach and impact of the Strike Force Five podcast is an important part of furthering an understanding of the influence of late-night comedy and political satire on our political life and popular culture.

Online anti-immigrant discourse in Germany: ethnographically backed analysis of user comments

This article investigates discourse- and language-specific features of online anti-immigrant extreme speech in Germany. We analyze a context rich dataset collected and annotated through a collaborative effort involving fact-checkers, ethnographers and natural language processing (NLP) researchers. Using a bottom-up annotation scheme, we capture the nuances of the discourse and develop a typology of lexical innovations. The analysis combines thematic and critical discourse analysis with a linguistic perspective, revealing that direct forms of racism intertwine with argumentative forms of antagonism and playful word games within anti-immigrant discourses, in ways that center around narratives of victimhood and perceived threats from migrants. We further show how the specific conditions in Germany, including strict legal regulations of speech, have shaped the emergence of a non-standard language variety in and through anti-immigrant discourse, which helps the discourse community maintain group identity. The ethnographically backed analysis provides a granular understanding of the phenomenon of online extreme speech in the German context, contributing to the broader field of discourse studies and offering insights into the varieties within anti-immigrant discourse.

A Pragmatic Study on the Identity Construction of Deceptive Telecom Discourse

Taking identified fraud telephone recordings as the corpus, the study first analyses the lexicon and overall structure of fraud discourse from the perspective of pragmatics and then explores the identities constructed by fraudsters. It found that, in deceptive telecom discourse, address forms and technical terms are used to construct the turn, and the fraud conversation has a relatively complete structure, including a beginning, problem construction, problem solving, and a closing. In addition, the lexical choice and the overall structure of deceptive conversation help to construct the fraudster’s individual identity, interpersonal identity and group identity. Individual identity includes the real identity as a fraudster and the false identity as a help seeker; interpersonal identity involves identity as a relative or superior; and group identity can be divided into institutional identity and professional identity. This study aims to enhance people’s awareness of fraud and assist in identifying the fraudulent identities of scammers, thereby reducing the occurrence of telecom fraud incidents.

Unveiling the psychological mechanisms of mutual help groups for addiction recovery: The role of social identity factors.

The effectiveness of mutual help groups (MHGs) in promoting addiction recovery has been widely acknowledged. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying the impact of MHGs remain somewhat uncertain. Drawing on a social identity perspective, this study investigated a sequential mediation model in which social support is posited as a driving factor that enhances abstinence maintenance through group identification, recovery identity, and self-efficacy. A sample of 820 smokers, participating in a 6-month collective smoking cessation programme which included access to an online help group, completed measures of social support, group identification, smoker/ex-smoker identity, and self-efficacy at the programme's outset. Smoking abstinence was assessed 6 and 9 months later. The findings supported the proposed model, indicating that social support was positively associated with MHG identification, which, in turn, was related to a stronger recovery identity. Subsequently, recovery identity was associated with increased self-efficacy, and indirectly, with smoking abstinence at both measurement times. Additional analyses testing alternative mediation models further supported the validity of the proposed model. These findings suggest that social identity factors play significant roles in accounting for the effectiveness of MHGs for addiction recovery.

Group Identification and Employer Support Predict Lower Occupational Stress in Animal Shelter Employees

Group Identification and Employer Support Predict Lower Occupational Stress in Animal Shelter Employees

The identification of retro-DNAs in primate genomes as DNA transposons mobilizing via retrotransposition.

Mobile elements (MEs) constitute a major portion of the genome in primates and other higher eukaryotes, and they play important role in genome evolution and gene function. MEs can be divided into two fundamentally different classes: DNA transposons which transpose in the genome in a "cut-and-paste" style, and retrotransposons which propagate in a "copy-and-paste" fashion via a process involving transcription and reverse-transcription. In primate genomes, DNA transposons are mostly dead, while many retrotransposons are still highly active. We report here the identification of a unique group of MEs, which we call "retro-DNAs", for their combined characteristics of these two fundamentally different ME classes. A comparative computational genomic approach was used to analyze the reference genome sequences of 10 primate species consisting of five apes, four monkeys, and marmoset. From our analysis, we identified a total of 1,750 retro-DNAs, representing 748 unique insertion events in the genomes of ten primate species including human. These retro-DNAs contain sequences of DNA transposons but lack the terminal inverted repeats (TIRs), the hallmark of DNA transposons. Instead, they show characteristics of retrotransposons, such as polyA tails, longer target-site duplications (TSDs), and the "TT/AAAA" insertion site motif, suggesting the use of the L1-based target- primed reverse transcription (TPRT) mechanism. At least 40% of these retro-DNAs locate into genic regions, presenting potentials for impacting gene function. More interestingly, some retro-DNAs, as well as their parent sites, show certain levels of expression, suggesting that they have the potential to create more retro-DNA copies in the present primate genomes. Although small in number, the identification of these retro-DNAs reveals a new mean for propagating DNA transposons in primate genomes without active canonical DNA transposon activity. Our data also suggest that the TPRT machinery may transpose a wider variety of DNA sequences in the genomes.

The effect of methylene blue on water hardness and antibacterial activity and the environment

This research was carried out to compare complexometric titration methods for the determination of water hardness in the presence of two colored indicators. The complexometric titration with EDTA method has evolved from the typical method of determining water hardness rates used in various references in several countries. Our objective is to make a comparison between Methylene Blue (MB) and Eriochrome black T (EBT) used as color indicators to determine the hardness in drinking water as a function of the flow. Several chemical – physic were used to determine the maximum absorbance of the two dyes UV-visible, identification of functional groups by infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), supported by the effect of concentration conductivity, pH and turbidity and density. Test results to determine water hydrometric title (TH) in the presence of two colored indicators indicated that the equivalent volume values (Veq) are doubled for the BM indicator compared to the EBT indicator however with impressive TH values in two different intervals between 10 &lt; TH&lt; 20 and 30 &lt; TH &lt; 50. This shows that the colored indicator Methylene Blue has important differences. An antibacterial activity is observed on the dye by the disk method on four bacteria in the agar culture medium, from which it can be said that there is sensitivity to antimicrobial agents against methylene blue.