Loss Of Identity Research Articles

β-Catenin transcriptional activity is required for establishment of inner pillar cell identity during cochlear development.

The mammalian cochlea is composed of sensory hair cells as well as multiple different types of non-sensory supporting cells. Pillar cells are one type of supporting cell that form the tunnel of Corti and include two morphologically and functionally distinct subtypes: inner pillar cells (IPCs) and outer pillar cells (OPCs). The processes of specification and differentiation of inner versus outer pillar cells are still unclear. Here, we show that β-Catenin is required for establishing IPC identity in the mammalian cochlea. To differentiate the transcriptional and adhesion roles of β-Catenin in establishing IPC identity, we examined two different models of β-Catenin deletion; one that deletes both transcriptional and structural functions and one which retains cell adhesion function but lacks transcriptional function. Here, we show that cochleae lacking β-Catenin transcriptional function lost IPCs and displayed extranumerary OPCs, indicating its requirement for establishing IPC identity. Overexpression of β-Catenin induced proliferation within IPCs but not ectopic IPCs. Single-cell transcriptomes of supporting cells lacking β-Catenin transcriptional function show a loss of the IPC and gain of OPC signatures. Finally, targeted deletion of β-Catenin in IPCs also led to the loss of IPC identity, indicating a cell autonomous role of β-Catenin in establishing IPC identity. As IPCs have the capacity to regenerate sensory hair cells in the postnatal cochlea, our results will aid in future IPC-based hair cell regeneration strategies.

Два алфавита для одного миноритарного языка как угроза его существованию (на примере лезгинского языка)

The paper deals with the failed attempt of the Republic of Azerbaijan to introduce an additional Latin-based alphabet for the Lezgian language, which has been using the Cyrillic script since the late 30s of the 20th century to the present day. It provides a brief history of Lezgian script from ancient times to the present day, analyzes the current state and condition of Lezgian being spoken on the territory corresponding to its historical base – the Republic of Dagestan (Russia) and the Republic of Azerbaijan – and establishes its status as a minority and vulnerable language. With reference to the Latin-based alphabet of Lezgian which was in use from 1928 to 1938 and apparently has been offered as such in the Republic of Azerbaijan, linguistic disadvantages of the possible transition of Lezgian alphabet to the Latin script are revealed. The example of Lezgian suggests that an attempt by the state to provide a language which is recognized as a minority and, to some extent, even minorized language in it with an extra alphabet, as well as the lack of it at all, can be regarded as a real threat to the very existence of the language. The author concludes that despite the fact that there are a few other examples of biscriptalism represented by majority and official languages, to the development and existence of which the simultaneous use of another script in another country poses no threat, in case of Lezgian the biscriptalism could have a destructive impact on its development and cause social risks such as the loss of ethnic and cultural identity of Lezgian speakers, the division of the Lezgi people into two separate groups totally devoid of ethnic consciousness and their subsequent irreversible assimilation.

Addressing mood and fatigue in return-to-work programmes after stroke: a systematic review.

Return-to-work is a key rehabilitation goal for many working aged stroke survivors, promoting an overall improvement of quality of life, social integration, and emotional wellbeing. Conversely, the failure to return-to-work contributes to a loss of identity, lowered self-esteem, social isolation, poorer quality of life and health outcomes. Return-to-work programmes have largely focused on physical and vocational rehabilitation, while neglecting to include mood and fatigue management. This is despite the knowledge that stroke results in changes in physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning, which all impact one's ability to return to work. The purpose of this systematic review is to conduct a comprehensive and up-to-date search of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of return-to-work programmes after stroke. The focus is especially on examining components of mood and fatigue if they were included, and to also report on the screening tools used to measure mood and fatigue. Searches were performed using 7 electronic databases for RCTs published in English from inception to 4 January 2023. A narrative synthesis of intervention design and outcomes was provided. The search yielded 5 RCTs that satisfied the selection criteria (n = 626). Three studies included components of mood and fatigue management in the intervention, of which 2 studies found a higher percentage of subjects in the intervention group returning to work compared to those in the control group. The remaining 2 studies which did not include components of mood and fatigue management did not find any significant differences in return-to-work rates between the intervention and control groups. Screening tools to assess mood or fatigue were included in 3 studies. Overall, the findings demonstrated that mood and fatigue are poorly addressed in rehabilitation programmes aimed at improving return-to-work after stroke, despite being a significant predictor of return-to-work. There is limited and inconsistent use of mood and fatigue screening tools. The findings were generally able to provide guidance and recommendations in the development of a stroke rehabilitation programme for return-to-work, highlighting the need to include components addressing and measuring psychological support and fatigue management.

Exploring Sir Walter Scott's Notions of Scottish Identity in the Context of Brexit and Scottish Independence

Numerous studies have investigated the concept of the nation and Scottish identity in the prose fiction of Sir Walter Scott. These studies have traditionally highlighted Scott’s role in reshaping public perceptions of the Scottish Highlands, their culture, and the suffering of the Highlanders under the British Empire, through his detailed knowledge of Scottish history and culture. However, it is essential to reconsider this issue in light of recent historical and political developments in Scotland after Brexit and the calls for independence by various Scottish thinkers, writers, and political leaders, aiming to join the European Union. This study revisits Scott’s concept of the Scottish nation and identity in his two texts, “The Highland Widow” and “The Two Drovers”. The findings suggest that the nationalist sentiment in Scott's writings is relevant to the social and political changes occurring in Scotland, Europe, and globally. It can be argued that much of the contemporary discourse on Scottish independence can be traced back to Scott's works, indicating a recurring historical pattern. Scott expressed concern for the loss of Scottish national identity and the right of self-determination. His texts vividly demonstrate the interconnection of past and present events, embodying both historical and contemporary perspectives.

EAST-WEST DICHOTOMY: A STUDY OF ORHAN PAMUK’S NOVELSILENT HOUSE

Geographically and linguistically, Turkey has been at the core of the debate surrounding the conflict between East and the West and subsequently between the West and the Islamic world. Orhan Pamuk characterises Turkey as a "JanusNation" which within itself accommodated generational contradictions: between East and West, secularism and religion, and modernism and tradition. Pamuk does not choose one over the other but argues that the country must incorporate all of these contradictions.Orhan Pamuk's literary works are frequently characterised by the East-West conflicts leading to a sort of confusion or loss of personal identity. In the press announcement made on Orhan Pamuk's receipt of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2006, the Swedish Academy lauded Pamuk as a novelist "who in the quest for the melancholic soul of his native city has discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures" (The Nobel Prize in Literature 2006). The clash between two dissimilar cultures East and West, and the phenomena of history and modernity and love and hate make the kernel of Pamuk's literary works.The article attempts to illustrate that the current world has experienced the transition from one stage to another; nonetheless, the dichotomy between the East and the West is still pervasive in the modern world. The East-West dichotomy has multiple implications in different disciplines, including sociology, geography, history, theology, and literary studies. Regardless of the differences in its practices, it continues to symbolise the historical separation or polarization between the East and the West, which still exists in the contemporary world. In this context, Orhan Pamuk have been chosen to investigate the scope and depth of the conflict between two cultures and ideologies.

Educational potential of Russia as a guarantee of preservation of socio-cultural identity

Introduction. The article examines the education system as a basis for understanding socio-cultural identity. The authors show that globalization levels the socio-cultural identity of people, so its revival should begin with the educational system. The way out of the crisis of the modern educational system is directly related to the preservation of the socio-cultural identity of a particular society. Purpose setting. The chaotization of the social space of recent decades has caused serious problems in the relationship between various social institutions, including education. The authors highlight the ways of preserving the identity not only of an individual, but also of the whole society. They also show the problems faced by the subjects of the educational process under the influence of the digitalization of the social space. Methodology and methods of the study. The authors investigate the factors that create the appropriate basis for structural changes in the educational sphere. According to the authors, in the information society, the conditions for the preservation of sociocultural identity should be formed at the level of a specific educational system. Results. As shown in the article, modern education is not always able to fulfill its ideological function. The lack of a holistic worldview among students does not contribute to the awareness of their socio-cultural identity. Education is a social institution, so it is actively involved in the socio-cultural movements of our time. Building a new social system on the European model involves the complete destruction of the traditional system of values, including education. Of particular importance is the humanitarian aspect of the problem of continuity of generations, which lies in the urgent need to preserve in Russian society its traditional spiritual values, patriotism and a sense of responsibility for the fate of the country. The system of education and upbringing can ensure the transfer of the value system to the younger generation of Russian citizens, using the best examples of Russian culture. Conclusion. According to the authors, the loss of identity is perceived as a crisis of the values of Russian spiritual culture, which can be seen at the level of the educational system. The system of «universal values» carries with it the destruction of the socio-cultural identity of individual peoples, therefore, the preservation of socio-cultural identity in a multipolar world is possible only through the revival of local and regional values.

Late life depression and concepts of aging: an emerging paradigm.

Late life depression (LLD) is an emerging challenge, and recognized as a significant barrier to long-term healthy aging. Viewed within the context of the medical/biological model, advances in brain sciences over the last several decades have led to a deeper understanding of the biology of LLD. These advances in current knowledge include the description of aging brain pathophysiology; the biology and biochemistry of neurotransmitters; the correspondence between changes in neurological structure, function, and neural network; the description of neural, hormonal and inflammatory biomarkers; and identification of typical phenotypic subtypes of LLD. Despite these advances, current treatment of LLD, which remains largely pharmacological with accompanying cognitive and behavioral interventions, has poor success rate for long-term remission among older people. A wider perspective, in keeping with several emerging aging concepts, is suggested as an alternative framework within which to view LLD. A growing body of research supports the important role in LLD of frailty, resilience, intrinsic capacity, and functional integrity. Similarly, important social determinants need to be addressed in the etiology of LLD, rooted largely in negative stereotypes of aging, with consequent repercussions of reduced participation and inclusion, growing social isolation, with loss of identity, meaning and hope. This perspective suggests the importance of a wider integrative conceptualization of depression, set against a background of emerging aging concepts.

Is exploration in the Brazilian Amazon the best energy solution? Case study in the Cajuhiri indigenous land crossed

The Amazon is one of the last frontiers of untapped natural resources, with enormous cultural and biological diversity. In Brazil, policies for occupying the Amazon followed the developmental model of exploiting natural resources. Oil resources in the Brazilian Amazon, mainly in the Solimões sedimentary basin, converge with the interests of a market centered on fossil fuel, which puts the lives of indigenous peoples and their territories at risk. The present work analyzes the impacts on the socio-ecological systems of the implantation of a gas pipeline in indigenous territories. A case study of the Cajuhiri Atravessado Indigenous Land was carried out, supported by the socio-ecological system approach (SSE) proposed by Ostrom to analyze the impacts on the ecosystem. The study allows concluding that the process of capitalist development in the region has been causing decisive effects in the loss of identity, territory and indigenous culture.

CLCF1 signaling restrains thermogenesis and disrupts metabolic homeostasis by inhibiting mitochondrial biogenesis in brown adipocytes

Great progress has been made in identifying positive regulators that activate adipocyte thermogenesis, but negative regulatory signaling of thermogenesis remains poorly understood. Here, we found that cardiotrophin-like cytokine factor 1 (CLCF1) signaling led to loss of brown fat identity, which impaired thermogenic capacity. CLCF1 levels decreased during thermogenic stimulation but were considerably increased in obesity. Adipocyte-specific CLCF1 transgenic (CLCF1-ATG) mice showed impaired energy expenditure and severe cold intolerance. Elevated CLCF1 triggered whitening of brown adipose tissue by suppressing mitochondrial biogenesis. Mechanistically, CLCF1 bound and activated ciliary neurotrophic factor receptor (CNTFR) and augmented signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling. STAT3 transcriptionally inhibited both peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator (PGC) 1α and 1β, which thereafter restrained mitochondrial biogenesis in adipocytes. Inhibition of CNTFR or STAT3 could diminish the inhibitory effects of CLCF1 on mitochondrial biogenesis and thermogenesis. As a result, CLCF1-TG mice were predisposed to develop metabolic dysfunction even without external metabolic stress. Our findings revealed a brake signal on nonshivering thermogenesis and suggested that targeting this pathway could be used to restore brown fat activity and systemic metabolic homeostasis in obesity.

‘I’m Black but I don’t feel like I am’ – Young people’s experiences of living in transracial foster placements

Transracial foster placements are the placement of ethnic minority youths with ethnic majority foster families. Some exploration into the challenges faced by ethnic minority youths living in transracial families have highlighted a loss of identity, managing racial discrimination and white privilege. So far, the research has looked at the perspective of care leavers, adoptees and carers, however there is little research that aims to understand the perspective of the child whilst they are living in transracial foster families. This pilot study aimed to explore ethnic minority youth’s experiences of transracial foster placements, with a view to developing a training package for foster carers. Eight ethnic minority young people, aged between 12 and 18 years old, living in transracial foster placements took part in semi-structured interviews about their lived experiences. Thematic analysis was conducted on the data and an inductive approach was taken. Three themes were identified: loss of identity; living in a white world; advice for foster carers. The findings of the study outline the many challenges that young people face living in transracial foster families and highlight the need for training, policy development and further research.

OPTIMIZING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE YOLO AND DATA ALGORITHM AUGMENTATION IN HANACARAKA JAVANESE SCRIPT LANGUAGE CLASSIFICATION

The Javanese language and Javanese script are one of the rich cultural heritages in Indonesia, but there are still many people who do not have sufficient understanding of the Javanese language and culture, including the Javanese script. This can have an impact on the loss of language and cultural diversity, as well as the loss of the local identity of the Javanese people. The lack of knowledge about Javanese script language culture can be caused by various factors, such as the lack of access to adequate learning resources, the minimum use of Javanese language and script in daily life, and the lack of attention from the government and society towards the preservation of Javanese language and culture. This study aims to optimize the application of the YOLO (You Only Look Once) algorithm and data augmentation techniques in the Javanese language classification Hanacaraka script. The method used in this study was collecting data on Javanese Hanacaraka script images, data labeling, data augmentation, and model training using the YOLO algorithm. The results showed that the Javanese script pattern recognition method used the YOLO algorithm which had gone through the data augmentation process, showing good results with an accuracy of 96.4% using 3021 image data sources for the hanacaraka letters.

Художественная антропология Расула Гамзатова (на примере книги «Мой Дагестан»)

Introduction. The article examines literary endeavors into the phenomenon of man in a work by the Soviet poet, novelist, publicist, Soviet and Russian public and political figure, translator Rasul G. Gamzatov. Goals. The paper aims to analyze R. Gamzatov’s My Dagestan from the perspective of anthropology of literature. Results. Our interest in the anthropology of R. Gamzatov’s literature arises from cultural, social, and nation-wide changes of the twentieth and early twenty first centuries. The global marginalization of society, information wars, deviations from ethnic spiritual and cultural values can lead to identity loss and complete disappearance of any ethnocultural community. The writer’s works constitute a unique phenomenon instrumental in comprehending the inner world of human soul, understanding an individual’s place and cause in the world. R. Gamzatov employs literary tools to create his own concept of man and answer the universal questions.

Encoder-based Domain Tuning for Fast Personalization of Text-to-Image Models

Text-to-image personalization aims to teach a pre-trained diffusion model to reason about novel, user provided concepts, embedding them into new scenes guided by natural language prompts. However, current personalization approaches struggle with lengthy training times, high storage requirements or loss of identity. To overcome these limitations, we propose an encoder-based domain-tuning approach. Our key insight is that by underfitting on a large set of concepts from a given domain, we can improve generalization and create a model that is more amenable to quickly adding novel concepts from the same domain. Specifically, we employ two components: First, an encoder that takes as an input a single image of a target concept from a given domain, e.g. a specific face, and learns to map it into a word-embedding representing the concept. Second, a set of regularized weight-offsets for the text-to-image model that learn how to effectively injest additional concepts. Together, these components are used to guide the learning of unseen concepts, allowing us to personalize a model using only a single image and as few as 5 training steps --- accelerating personalization from dozens of minutes to seconds , while preserving quality. Code and trained encoders will be available at our project page.

Cross-Modality Person Re-Identification Algorithm Based on Two-Branch Network

Person re-identification is the technique of identifying the same person in different camera shots, known as ReID for short. Most existing models focus on single-modality person re-identification involving only visible images. However, the visible modality is not suitable for low-light environments or at night, when crime is frequent. In contrast, infrared images can reflect the nighttime environment, and most surveillance systems are equipped with dual-mode cameras that can automatically switch between visible and infrared modalities based on light conditions. In contrast to visible-light cameras, infrared (IR) cameras can still capture enough information from the scene in those dark environments. Therefore, the problem of visible-infrared cross-modality person re-identification (VI-ReID) is proposed. To improve the identification rate of cross-modality person re-identification, a cross-modality person re-identification method based on a two-branch network is proposed. Firstly, we use infrared image colorization technology to convert infrared images into color images to reduce the differences between modalities and propose a visible-infrared cross-modality person re-identification algorithm based on Two-Branch Network with Double Constraints (VI-TBNDC), which consists of two main components: a two-branch network for feature extraction and a double-constrained identity loss for feature learning. The two-branch network extracts the features of both data sets separately, and the double-constrained identity loss ensures that the learned feature representations are discriminative enough to distinguish different people from two different patterns. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by extensive experimental analysis, and the method achieves good recognition accuracy on the visible-infrared image person re-identification standard dataset SYSU-MM01.

Identification of Large Yellow Croaker under Variable Conditions Based on the Cycle Generative Adversarial Network and Transfer Learning

Variable-condition fish recognition is a type of cross-scene and cross-camera fish re-identification (re-ID) technology. Due to the difference in the domain distribution of fish images collected under different culture conditions, the available training data cannot be effectively used for the new identification method. To solve these problems, we proposed a new method for identifying large yellow croaker based on the CycleGAN (cycle generative adversarial network) and transfer learning. This method constructs source sample sets and target sample sets by acquiring large yellow croaker images in controllable scenes and actual farming conditions, respectively. The CycleGAN was used as the basic framework for image transformation from the source domain to the target domain to realize data amplification in the target domain. In particular, IDF (identity foreground loss) was used to optimize identity loss judgment criteria, and MMD (maximum mean discrepancy) was used to narrow the distribution between the source domain and target domain. Finally, transfer learning was carried out with the expanded samples to realize the identification of large yellow croaker under varying conditions. The experimental results showed that the proposed method achieved good identification results in both the controlled scene and the actual culture scene, with an average recognition accuracy of 96.9% and 94%, respectively. These provide effective technical support for the next steps in fish behavior tracking and phenotype measurement.

Stromal Interaction Molecule 1 Maintains β-Cell Identity and Function in Female Mice Through Preservation of G-Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor 1 Signaling.

Store-operated Ca2+ entry replenishes endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ through reversible gating of plasma membrane Ca2+ channels by the ER Ca2+ sensor, stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1). β-Cell-specific deletion of STIM1 results in a sexually dimorphic phenotype, with β-cell dysfunction and loss of identity in female but not male mice. Expression of the noncanonical 17-β estradiol receptor (GPER1) is decreased in islets of female STIM1Δβ mice, and modulation of GPER1 levels leads to alterations in expression of β-cell maturity genes in INS-1 cells.

The impacts of Covid-19 lockdowns on professional and personal lives of freelance creative collaborative musicians

The global pandemic has severely disrupted the performing arts sector, with research documenting economic, professional, and health impacts on musicians. The psychological effects of lockdowns have been recognized, but little is known regarding their impact on freelance creative collaborative artists. This qualitative case study uses a resilience lens to report the perspectives of freelance creative collaborative musicians from the city of Melbourne, the Australian city which experienced the greatest period of lockdown in the country. Three main themes were identified: professional impacts (loss of work, loss of artistic identity, professional coping strategies), personal impacts (lockdown stressors, personal coping strategies, relationships), and future professional outlook (developing new professional skills and directions, positive and negative future outlooks). The findings demonstrate these musicians’ resilience in spite of difficult circumstances, resulting in positive adaptations and personal growth.

TRANSFORMATION OF BRAND MANAGEMENT TASKS IN THE CONTEXT OF EXPANSION OF TRADING PLATFORMS

The rapid growth of electronic trading platforms (aggregators and marketplaces) has caused a significant transformation of the market of goods, works and services. At the same time, the new opportunities and amenities that sellers have, as well as the reduction of current costs when using marketplace trading platforms, have a reverse side. Among the emerging problems are the market dictate and the rigid framework of interaction used by these digital platforms, the need to address issues of intellectual property protection, as well as a significant limitation of the possibility of strengthening your own brand and partial loss of communication with end customers. The solution to these problems is possible either by adapting to the hegemony of marketplaces according to the umbrella scheme, which, ultimately, is expressed in the loss of identity, or through the use of an integrated approach in marketing policy that differentiates sales activities.

Loss of identity in nineteenth‐century Norway: Oslo's House of Correction

AbstractIn Norway, there was considerable overlap between the poor house, the workhouse, and correctional facilities. An assemblage of human skeletal remains from Oslo's House of Correction cemetery, largely comprised of individuals disturbed during municipal development in 1989, consists of c. 314 individuals who died as inmates or residents; many were disabled or elderly. Although names were recorded at death, the cemetery lacked grave markers or a map, with no expectation families might one day reclaim relatives. All remains have been aged and sexed anthropologically, with samples collected for biomolecular investigations. Despite extensive archival documentation, including names recorded in the House of Correction church book, their identities are shrouded by time. Observations of age, injury, and disease can suggest why inmates ended up in the House of Correction cemetery. But there, individual stories end and identities are lost.

An extended transcription factor regulatory network controls hepatocyte identity.

Cell identity is specified by a core transcriptional regulatory circuitry (CoRC), typically limited to a small set of interconnected cell-specific transcription factors (TFs). By mining global hepatic TF regulons, we reveal a more complex organization of the transcriptional regulatory network controlling hepatocyte identity. We show that tight functional interconnections controlling hepatocyte identity extend to non-cell-specific TFs beyond the CoRC, which we call hepatocyte identity (Hep-ID)CONNECT TFs. Besides controlling identity effector genes, Hep-IDCONNECT TFs also engage in reciprocal transcriptional regulation with TFs of the CoRC. In homeostatic basal conditions, this translates into Hep-IDCONNECT TFs being involved in fine tuning CoRC TF expression including their rhythmic expression patterns. Moreover, a role for Hep-IDCONNECT TFs in the control of hepatocyte identity is revealed in dedifferentiated hepatocytes where Hep-IDCONNECT TFs are able to reset CoRC TF expression. This is observed upon activation of NR1H3 or THRB in hepatocarcinoma or in hepatocytes subjected to inflammation-induced loss of identity. Our study establishes that hepatocyte identity is controlled by an extended array of TFs beyond the CoRC.