Identical Repertoire Research Articles

The social space of Arab residents of mixed Israeli cities

ABSTRACTThis study examines social integration of ethnic groups using socio-spatial lifestyle approach as related to Arab residents of mixed Israeli cities. Inter-ethnic relations in mixed cities are a central theme in geo-spatial research, that until recently focuses primarily on residential segregation, assuming its association with social integration. Recent studies uncover more complex realities as individual choices affect movement in space and social interactions. The current research is part of a new effort to study these relations as a multifaceted phenomenon, examining seven indices: movement in space; social interactions; repertoire of identities; attitudes towards integration; attachment to ethnic spaces mass-media consumption and telecommunication usage. The data incorporate tracking of 59 respondents for a week (using GPS loggers) and in-depth interviews were carried out with them. Core findings suggest that activity spaces, in addition to residential segregation, are associated with social integration, identifying three main socio-spatial lifestyles according to integration parameters and social characteristics.

Immunosuppression by Intestinal Stromal Cells.

This chapter summarizes evidence that intestinal myofibroblasts, also called intestinal stromal cells, are derived in the adult from tissue mesenchymal stem cells under homeostasis and may be replenished by bone marrow mesenchymal stromal (stem) cells that are recruited after severe intestinal injury. A comparison of mechanism of immunosuppression or tolerance by adult intestinal stromal cells (myofibroblasts) is almost identical with those reported for mesenchymal stem cells of bone marrow origin. The list of suppression mechanisms includes PD-L1 and PD-L2/PD-1 immune checkpoint pathways, soluble mediator secretion, toll-like receptor-mediated tolerance, and augmentation of Treg cells. Further, both mesenchymal stem cells and intestinal stromal cells express an almost identical repertoire of CD molecules. Lastly, others have reported that isolate intestinal stromal cells are capable of differentiating into bone and less well into chondrocyte, but not into adipocytes, a finding that we have confirmed. These findings suggest that intestinal stromal cells (myofibroblasts) are partially differentiated adult, tissue-resident stem cells which are capable of exerting immune tolerance in the intestine. Their role in repair of inflammatory bowel disease and immune suppression in colorectal cancer needs further investigation.

Identity in an Autocratic State: Or What Belarusians Talk about When They Talk about National Identity

How does the role of ordinary citizens change in the interpretation and production of national identity under an authoritarian political system? Exploring the discursive role of authoritarian political stability on perceptions of national identity, this study examines how categories of “national” are appropriated and internalized in identity talks among Belarusians. It offers a bottom–up perspective on national identification, drawing on analysis of six focus group discussions with Belarusian citizens. The main objective was to observe everyday language and how people construct symbolic significance for certain practices as “national” and what are the meanings invested in replicating and re-enacting different identity markers, given the contingencies of everyday life in an authoritarian political context. I evaluate cross-group and intergroup discursive variations in responses and repertoires of volunteer participants in terms of agreement and disagreement. Public conformity with regime ideational practices does not appear to equate with political allegiance to the current regime. Even when identity repertoires echo the identity discourses of official state ideology, people attach their own meanings and interpretations to these identity markers. However, I find that the authoritarian context affects how identity repertoires are enacted and talked about. Integrating performative aspects of identity talks into the analysis, I note how participants consciously reflect on the sensitivity of political topics, and prioritize politically neutral narratives.

Repertoire of BALB/c Mice Natural Anti-Carbohydrate Antibodies: Mice vs. Humans Difference, and Otherness of Individual Animals.

One of the most common genetic backgrounds for mice used as a model to investigate human diseases is the inbred BALB/c strain. This work is aimed to characterize the pattern of natural anti-carbohydrate antibodies present in the serum of 20 BALB/c mice by printed glycan array technology and to compare their binding specificities with that of human natural anti-carbohydrate antibodies. Natural antibodies (NAbs) from the serum of BALB/c mice interacted with 71 glycans from a library of 419 different carbohydrate structures. However, only seven of these glycans were recognized by the serum of all the animals studied, and other five glycans by at least 80% of mice. The pattern of the 12 glycans mostly recognized by the circulating antibodies of BALB/c mice differed significantly from that observed with natural anti-carbohydrate antibodies in humans. This lack of identical repertoires of natural anti-carbohydrate antibodies between individual inbred mice, and between mice and humans, should be taken into consideration when mouse models are intended to be used for investigation of NAbs in biomedical research.

Comparison of Non-Coding RNAs in Exosomes and Functional Efficacy of Human Embryonic Stem Cell- versus Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes.

Both human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (ESC-CMs) and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived CMs (iPSC-CMs) can serve as unlimited cell sources for cardiac regenerative therapy. However, the functional equivalency between human ESC-CMs and iPSC-CMs for cardiac regenerative therapy has not been demonstrated. Here, we performed a head-to-head comparison of ESC-CMs and iPSC-CMs in their ability to restore cardiac function in a rat myocardial infarction (MI) model as well as their exosomal secretome. Human ESCs and iPSCs were differentiated into CMs using small molecule inhibitors. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis confirmed ∼85% and ∼83% of CMs differentiated from ESCs and iPSCs, respectively, were positive for cardiac troponin T. At a single-cell level, both cell types displayed similar calcium handling and electrophysiological properties, with gene expression comparable with the human fetal heart marked by striated sarcomeres. Sub-acute transplantation of ESC-CMs and iPSC-CMs into nude rats post-MI improved cardiac function, which was associated with increased expression of angiogenic genes in vitro following hypoxia. Profiling of exosomal microRNAs (miRs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) revealed that both groups contain an identical repertoire of miRs and lncRNAs, including some that are known to be cardioprotective. We demonstrate that both ESC-CMs and iPSC-CMs can facilitate comparable cardiac repair. This is advantageous because, unlike allogeneic ESC-CMs used in therapy, autologous iPSC-CMs could potentially avoid immune rejection when used for cardiac cell transplantation in the future. Stem Cells 2017;35:2138-2149.

Lingoing, language labels and metrolingual practices

Abstract There is a potential tension between the descriptions of language use by contemporary sociolinguistic researchers keen to focus on metro- poly- or translanguaging – with a focus on repertoires of semiotic resources – and the terms used by language users themselves – which may accord much more with traditional linguistic labels. While we tried to account for this disparity in previous discussions by focusing on the push and pull between fluid and fixed language use and descriptions, we focus in this paper on the negotiations around the labels used by the participants themselves. While it is certainly the case that the tools for discussing language use and affiliation in everyday discourse are themselves linguistically constrained (using commonly accepted language labels) the terms people use to talk about their multilingual environments are not necessarily as normative as they first appear. Such apparently stable referents are themselves part of a more complex set of identity repertoires that are always being reworked. What is at stake, therefore, is not so much a polarisation between fluid language use and fixed language ascriptions as a constant reconfiguration of language meanings.

Global informal learning environments and the making of Chinese middle class

This paper engages with the ways in which formal learning environments increasingly have to compete with informal ones, where such informal learning environments can be seen as penetrations from global ‘scapes’ into local conditions of circulation and uptake of semiotic resources. The study is based on close observation of a group of upwardly mobile Chinese consumers who have access to informal learning environments and acquire discourses to express their tastes in cultural goods. As effects of their access to the informal learning environments, the informants expand their identity repertoires and bind one space to another through their sociocultural practices. Such identity effects are the outcome of scaled forms of access to globally circulating semiotic resources whose indexical value needs to be enacted, renegotiated, and learned. In explaining the rescaling of the informants, access to informal global learning environments is as important as their access to advanced formal education, and the combination of such scaled resources informs their emergence as a globally recognizable middle class.

Building Interactional Space in an ESL Classroom to Foster Bilingual Identity and Linguistic Repertoires

This article draws on data from a yearlong case study of a Mexican American ESL teacher’s practice in a K–5 school in the southeastern United States. The study examines how the teacher established bilingual interactional space in her ESL pullout class consisting of six 9- to 11-year old students of Mexican descent. The analysis shows the ways in which she affirmed her students’ bilingual identity and made strong connections between in-school and out-of-school experiences. Findings illustrate how the teacher’s explicit attention to bilingualism and cross-linguistic transfer created potential for pride in Spanish and motivation to develop English. The author recommends building bilingual interactional space in ESL and dual language classrooms to promote positive bilingual identity and opportunities for expanding linguistic repertoires.

Breast cancer genomics from microarrays to massively parallel sequencing: paradigms and new insights.

Rapid advancements in massively parallel sequencing methods have enabled the analysis of breast cancer genomes at an unprecedented resolution, which have revealed the remarkable heterogeneity of the disease. As a result, we now accept that despite originating in the breast, estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and ER-negative breast cancers are completely different diseases at the molecular level. It has become apparent that there are very few highly recurrently mutated genes such as TP53, PIK3CA, and GATA3, that no two breast cancers display an identical repertoire of somatic genetic alterations at base-pair resolution and that there might not be a single highly recurrently mutated gene that defines each of the "intrinsic" subtypes of breast cancer (ie, basal-like, HER2-enriched, luminal A, and luminal B). Breast cancer heterogeneity, however, extends beyond the diversity between tumors. There is burgeoning evidence to demonstrate that at least some primary breast cancers are composed of multiple, genetically diverse clones at diagnosis and that metastatic lesions may differ in their repertoire of somatic genetic alterations when compared with their respective primary tumors. Several biological phenomena may shape the reported intratumor genetic heterogeneity observed in breast cancers, including the different mutational processes and multiple types of genomic instability. Harnessing the emerging concepts of the diversity of breast cancer genomes and the phenomenon of intratumor genetic heterogeneity will be essential for the development of optimal methods for diagnosis, disease monitoring, and the matching of patients to the drugs that would benefit them the most.

We is Plural

Even before they started the editorial board of the new Dutch hymnal was blamed for being too elitist. The fact that they had been selected on the basis of their expertise made them vulnerable for such criticism. Subsequently the position of the editors has been a point of continuous reflection. In this contribution, we will argue that this image of editors as dissociated from users of the hymn book is only one among several available identity repertoires. In order to answer the question which ‘identities-in-relation-to-users’ do the editors construct in the meetings of the board and how do they value these identities?, we will use a broad definition of identity and focus on positions performed in social interaction. The interaction in question concerns seven selected meetings of the editorial board, all of which were audio-taped and transcribed. Looking closely at the identities that were constructed during those meetings, we distinguish six positions, ranging from a great to no distance between editors and users: editors, professionals, experienced, vanguard, pleasers and equals.

Stories of pain and health by elderly Pakistani women in Norway.

This ethnographic study investigates the stories of elderly Pakistani women living in Norway. Migration studies indicate that elderly migrant women are passive, ill victims caught in a marginalized position due to age, ethnicity and gender, and thus have little access to opposition and agency. To broaden the picture it is necessary to develop an innovative approach to understand what is implicated in the process of migration. The importance of considering life conditions that surrounds potential health promotion behaviors of immigrants is stressed by several researchers. However, up to now limited research guided by this perspective has been done in Norway. Therefore, this study explored how elderly Pakistani women in Norway promote their health and well-being through some distinct social interactions. The intention is to bring awareness to how health, even by so-called disadvantaged social groups, may take place. These practices are important to take into consideration when developing health-promoting policies for elderly immigrants. An ethnographic study of 15 Pakistani women, aged 53-75, was carried out in a multisided fieldwork in Oslo using participant observation and ethnographic interviews. The analytical approach was inspired by the constructivist theoretical framework of narrative ethnography. The elderly Pakistani women in Norway construct stories of living in-between cultures and experiences of acculturative stress caused by being elderly, immigrants and women. However, this analysis also suggests that through distinct social relationships, primarily in the context of a voluntary organization, elderly Pakistani women do health by the way they interact and construct a repertoire of social identities. The healing practices taking place among elderly Pakistani women may counteract the negative health outcomes associated with age, migration and gender implications for immigrant health-promoting policy in Norway may be to increase the establishment and allocate funds to sustain voluntary organizations run by and for immigrants.

Quantitative integration of genetic factors in the learning and production of canary song

Learned bird song is influenced by inherited predispositions. The canary is a model system for the interaction of genes and learning on behaviour, especially because some strains have undergone artificial selection for song. In this study, roller canaries (bred for low-pitched songs) and border canaries (whose song is higher pitched, similar to the wild-type) were interbred and backcrossed to produce 58 males that sorted into seven genetically distinct groups. All males were tutored with the same set of songs, which included both low- and high-pitched syllables. Individuals were consistent within genetic groups but differed between groups in the proportion of low- versus high-pitched syllables they learned and sang. Both sex-linked and autosomal factors affected song learning and song production, in an additive manner. Dominant Z-chromosome factors facilitated high-pitched syllable learning and production, whereas the sex-linked alleles associated with the switch to low-pitched syllables under artificial selection were largely recessive. With respect to autosomal effects, the most surprising result is that males in the same genetic group had almost identical repertoires. This result challenges two common preconceptions: that genetic changes at different loci lead to distinct phenotypic changes, and that genetic predispositions affect learning in simple and general ways. Rather, different combinations of genetic changes can be associated with the same phenotypic effect; and predispositions can be remarkably specific, such as a tendency to learn and sing one song element rather than another.

Narratives of identity of self‐initiated expatriates in Qatar

PurposeThe paper aims to contribute to the discussion about how SIEs articulate narratives as cognitive efforts to expand, restrict or adapt their repertoire of identities in highly regulated environments.Design/methodology/approachDrawing from a social constructivist positioning, the paper explores situated social and relational practices using a qualitative framework that relied on primary data gathering through semi‐structured interviews. Qatar is a context of particular interest for exploring identity narratives of SIEs given the highly regulated environment and the large numbers of non‐nationals within the overall workforce. The study was conducted in an anonymous Qatari public shareholding company.FindingsFindings suggest that narratives of self are framed in relation to structural constraints and patterns of adaptation. These reveal the interplay between identity, careers and self‐initiated expatriation at macro‐country and micro‐individual levels. As part of these themes, narratives of mobility and opportunity emerged in reference to career experiences and discussions about themselves (lives, identities, and expectations).Originality/valueThe paper contributes to our current understanding of SIEs and encourages us to consider the importance of context in shaping the SIE experience. Similarly, the scarcity of literature about SIEs in GCC countries makes this paper a timely contribution. These contributions have significant implications not only for theoretical discussions about SIEs, but also for discussions on the interplay between migration, identity and global careers.

Dissociative Versus Associative Responses to Social Identity Threat: The Role of Consumer Self-Construal

The current research examines the conditions under which consumers demonstrate associative versus dissociative responses to identity-linked products as a consequence of a social identity threat. Across four studies, the authors test the notion that reactions to social identity threat may be moderated by self-construal by examining subcultural differences in ethnic background, priming self-construal, and investigating cross-national differences in cultural background. Those with more independent self-construals tend to avoid identity-linked products when that identity is threatened versus not threatened. Those with more interdependent self-construals, in contrast, demonstrate more positive preferences for identity-linked products when that aspect of social identity is threatened. These effects arise because, while independents are motivated to restore positive self-worth when a social identity is threatened, interdependents access a repertoire of social identities to fulfill belongingness needs when threatened.

Betwixt or beyond the lines of conflict? Biculturalism as situated identity in multinational corporations

PurposeBiculturals are portrayed as “ideal” boundary spanners and conflict mediators in MNC who switch between or transcend multiple cultural and/or organizational. The paper aims to critically analyze the assumptions behind this positive view on dual identity in MNC and provide an alternative conceptualization re‐positioning dual identity as a situated and potentially contested process.Design/methodology/approachThe paper theoretically juxtaposes existing concepts of dual identity in the international business literature with recent advances in research on identity in organization studies and psychology as well as critical perspectives on identity.FindingsA situated approach to biculturalism provides for a greater variety of identity management strategies corresponding to the metaphors of “surfer”, “soldier”, “struggler”, and “strategist” alike, depending on the identity repertoire available, the perceived situation at hand and the interactive processes of identity construction unfolding. From this perspective, the conflict potential associated with dual identity in MNC does not automatically dissolve as suggested by the literature so far, but depending on the situated enactment of dual identity might actually increase, intensify or even re‐direct the lines of conflict.Research implications and limitationsThe paper develops a comprehensive concept of situated bicultural identity processes in organizational contexts, which can serve as a guiding framework of further empirical research on biculturalism in MNC and also provides initial discussions about suitable hypotheses development in this area.Originality/valueThe international business literature so far is dominated by a limited understanding of biculturalism in MNC, strongly influenced by the concept of frame switching in cross‐cultural psychology. The paper introduces an alternative concept of biculturalism as a situated process, which can serve as a framework for further and more varied research on biculturalist identity negotiation in MNC.

Dissociative versus Associative Responses to Social Identity Threat: The Role of Consumer Self-Construal

Abstract The current research examines the conditions under which consumers demonstrate associative versus dissociative responses to identity-linked products as a consequence of a social identity threat. Across four studies, the authors test the notion that reactions to social identity threat may be moderated by self-construal by examining subcultural differences in ethnic background, priming self-construal, and investigating cross-national differences in cultural background. Those with more independent self-construals tend to avoid identity-linked products when that identity is threatened versus not threatened. Those with more interdependent self-construals, in contrast, demonstrate more positive preferences for identity-linked products when that aspect of social identity is threatened. These effects arise because, while independents are motivated to restore positive self-worth when a social identity is threatened, interdependents access a repertoire of social identities to fulfill belongingness needs when threatened.

Tolerance after Solid Organ and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Solid organ transplantation (SOT) and hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) have developed over the past 5 decades largely independent from each other despite sharing biologic principles, an almost identical repertoire of immunosuppressive (IS) drugs, and biologic response modifiers to overcome barriers of immune rejection between host and donor. Long-term graft function and recipient survival are the same primary endpoints for SOT and HCT. It is remarkable that allogeneic tissues can exhibit physiologic function in a host environment that may display disparate HLA antigens, blood type, and other immune response molecules. Long-term graft function after SOT in most cases requires life-long IS medications to prevent rejection in sharp contrast with HCT where most patients after 1 to 2 years post-HCT will be able to become independent of pharmacologic agents to avoid rejection or graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) and therefore reach a clinical state of tolerance. The hallmark of tolerance is specific unresponsiveness between host and graft tissues in the absence of any IS drugs; however, an equally significant tenet is the prerequisite freedom from infections, reflecting immunocompetence that is identifiable by protective immune responsiveness against pathogens. The established mechanisms of transplantation tolerance include immunologic ignorance, central (thymic) and peripheral clonal deletion, anergy, and immune regulation [1]. In the following three sections, clinical and mechanistic studies highlight some of these mechanisms, as significant progress has been achieved after HCT, kidney, and liver transplantation. Excitingly, immunomodulatory strategies have recently translated into clinical success by combining HCT with living-donor SOT, using HCT as a means to achieve tolerance [2].

Having a say: Direct speech representation in Greek youth storytelling

This paper explores speech representation in Greek youth storytelling. In line with approaches that view reported speech as a means of self and other presentation, it investigates how direct speech contributes to bringing forth speakers’ identities. I adopt a quantitative as well a qualitative analysis to address direct speech in terms of different elements of variation, namely speech producers and addressees, gender and status of speech producers and addressees, represented acts and represented interactions. Drawing from the dynamic, constructed nature of speech representation, I argue that the reporting choices of the youths in my data reflect the norms of masculinities and femininities which are in social circulation in their everyday worlds. Direct speech is therefore viewed as a powerful narrative device which contributes to the foregrounding of gender identities and helps sustain social stereotypes. Finally, I observe that the identity repertoire available to speakers is socioculturally determined.

Generation of Neural Stem Cells from Discarded Human Fetal Cortical Tissue

Neural stem cells (NSCs) reside along the ventricular zone neuroepithelium during the development of the cortical plate. These early progenitors ultimately give rise to intermediate progenitors and later, the various neuronal and glial cell subtypes that form the cerebral cortex. The capacity to generate and expand human NSCs (so called neurospheres) from discarded normal fetal tissue provides a means with which to directly study the functional aspects of normal human NSC development. This approach can also be directed toward the generation of NSCs from known neurological disorders, thereby affording the opportunity to identify disease processes that alter progenitor proliferation, migration and differentiation. We have focused on identifying pathological mechanisms in human Down syndrome NSCs that might contribute to the accelerated Alzheimer's disease phenotype. Neither in vivo nor in vitro mouse models can replicate the identical repertoire of genes located on human chromosome 21. Here we use a simple and reliable method to isolate Down syndrome NSCs from aborted human fetal cortices and grow them in culture. The methodology provides specific aspects of harvesting the tissue, dissection with limited anatomical landmarks, cell sorting, plating and passaging of human NSCs. We also provide some basic protocols for inducing differentiation of human NSCs into more selective cell subtypes.

Generation of Neural Stem Cells from Discarded Human Fetal Cortical Tissue

Neural stem cells (NSCs) reside along the ventricular zone neuroepithelium during the development of the cortical plate. These early progenitors ultimately give rise to intermediate progenitors and later, the various neuronal and glial cell subtypes that form the cerebral cortex. The capacity to generate and expand human NSCs (so called neurospheres) from discarded normal fetal tissue provides a means with which to directly study the functional aspects of normal human NSC development 1-5. This approach can also be directed toward the generation of NSCs from known neurological disorders, thereby affording the opportunity to identify disease processes that alter progenitor proliferation, migration and differentiation 6-9. We have focused on identifying pathological mechanisms in human Down syndrome NSCs that might contribute to the accelerated Alzheimer's disease phenotype 10,11. Neither in vivo nor in vitro mouse models can replicate the identical repertoire of genes located on human chromosome 21. Here we use a simple and reliable method to isolate Down syndrome NSCs from aborted human fetal cortices and grow them in culture. The methodology provides specific aspects of harvesting the tissue, dissection with limited anatomical landmarks, cell sorting, plating and passaging of human NSCs. We also provide some basic protocols for inducing differentiation of human NSCs into more selective cell subtypes.