The role of perceived discrimination in linking religious practices and well-being: A study among Muslim Afghan refugees in the Netherlands.

Minorities facing adverse intergroup contact can experience both increased identification with their ethnic group and decreased identification with a host majority group. First, we argue it is important to understand what is associated with adversity, particularly in previously overlooked samples. Muslim refugee samples are often treated differently and experience more adversity than other immigrants. Second, we combine insights on the role of religiosity in acculturation with the observation that religiosity may not have positive effects in societies that do not value (a specific) religion (religiosity-as-social-value hypothesis) as well as insights from rejection (dis)identification models, to understand which domains of being a Muslim are associated with discrimination, (dis-)identification and well-being. We hypothesized that Muslim religious practices, but not beliefs, coping or values, are associated with increased perceived discrimination, and suggest that this is because practices are highly visible. Data from Muslim Afghan refugees in the Netherlands (N = 183) revealed that indeed only religious practices were related positively to perceived discrimination. Perceived discrimination in turn mediated the relationship between religious practices and dis-identification with the majority group, as well as the relationship between religious practices and well-being. We suggest that the visibility of one's religious behaviour is relevant for acculturation outcomes.

A subspace-based coil combination method for phased-array magnetic resonance imaging.

PURPOSE: Coil-by-coil reconstruction methods are followed by coil combination to obtain a single image representing a spin density map. Typical coil combination methods, such as square-root sum-of-squares and adaptive coil combining, yield images that exhibit spatially varying modulation of image intensity. Existing practice is to first combine coils according to a signal-to-noise criterion, then postprocess to correct intensity inhomogeneity. If inhomogeneity is severe, however, intensity correction methods can yield poor results. The purpose of this article is to present an alternative optimality criterion for coil combination; the resulting procedure yields reduced intensity inhomogeneity while preserving contrast. THEORY AND METHODS: A minimum mean squared error criterion is adopted for combining coils via a subspace decomposition. Techniques are compared using both simulated and in vivo data. RESULTS: Experimental results for simulated and in vivo data demonstrate lower bias, higher signal-to-noise ratio (about 7×) and contrast-to-noise ratio (about 2×), compared to existing coil combination techniques. CONCLUSION: The proposed coil combination method is noniterative and does not require estimation of coil sensitivity maps or image mask; the method is particularly suited to cases where intensity inhomogeneity is too severe for existing approaches.

Defending honour, keeping face: Interpersonal affordances of anger and shame in Turkey and Japan.

In the present study, we tested the idea that emotions are afforded to the extent that they benefit central cultural concerns. We predicted that emotions that are beneficial for the Turkish concern for defending honour (both anger and shame) are afforded frequently in Turkey, whereas emotions that are beneficial for the Japanese concern for keeping face (shame but not anger) are afforded frequently in Japan. N=563 students from Turkey and Japan indicated how frequently people in their culture experience a range of interpersonal anger and shame situations, and how intense their emotions would be. As predicted, participants perceived emotional interactions to occur frequently to the extent that they elicited culturally beneficial emotions. Moreover, the affordance of culturally beneficial emotions differed in predictable ways not only between cultures but also within cultures between situations with close vs. distant others and male vs. female protagonists.

Acculturation of Personality: A Three-Culture Study of Japanese, Japanese Americans, and European Americans.

The present study tests the hypothesis that involvement with a new culture instigates changes in personality of immigrants that result in (a) better fit with the norms of the culture of destination and (b) reduced fit with the norms of the culture of origin. Participants were 40 Japanese first-generation immigrants to the United States, 57 Japanese monoculturals, and 60 U.S. monoculturals. All participants completed the Jackson Personality Inventory (JPI) as a measure of the Big Five; immigrants completed the Japanese American Acculturation Scale. Immigrants' fits with the cultures of destination and origin were calculated by correlating Japanese American mothers' patterns of ratings on the Big Five with the average patterns of ratings of European Americans and Japanese on the same personality dimensions. Japanese Americans became more "American" and less "Japanese" in their personality as they reported higher participation in the U.S. culture. The results support the view that personality can be subject to cultural influence.

TH1 cytokines induce senescence in AML.

Cancer testis antigen PRAME is over-expressed in a variety of malignant cells but is not or minimally expressed in normal non-germ line cells. Adoptive transfer of PRAME-specific T cells is thus under investigation in clinical trials as an innovative therapeutic option for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, their senescence-inducing activity has not been studied. This study therefore examines senescence induction in AML cells by PRAME-specific TH1 cells. Analysis of cell cycle and marker expression demonstrate that the supernatants of antigen-stimulated PRAME-specific TH1 cells induce senescence in AML cell lines Kasumi and Nomo-1 through combinative IFN-γ and TNF-α. Additionally IFN-γ and TNF-α secreted by TCR-activated Vδ2+ or CMV-specific T cells can also drive these AML cell lines into terminal growth arrest. G1/0 arrest is also suggested in patient-derived AML by TH1 cytokines or supernatants from Zoledronate-stimulated or aCD3/aCD28-stimulated PBMCs. Thus, we show for the first time that senescence is induced in AML cells by combined IFN-γ and TNF-α, and that these cytokines can be derived either from TCR-engineered CD4+ T cells, or intriguingly from Virus-specific as well as innate Vδ2+ T cells responding to their cognate antigens, namely T-cell responses targeting an antigen that is NOT expressed by the leukemic cells.

The role of psychologists in international migration research: Complementing other expertise and an interdisciplinary way forward.

This research note addresses the current and potential future role of psychologists in the study of international migration. We review ways in which psychologists have contributed to the study of migration, as well as ways in which psychological scholarship could be integrated with work from other social science fields. Broadly, we discuss four major contributions that psychology brings to the study of international migration-studying migrants' internal psychological experiences, incorporating a developmental perspective, conducting experimental studies, and integrating across levels of analysis. Given the position of psychology as a 'hub science' connecting more traditional social sciences with health and medical sciences, we argue for a more prominent role for psychologists within the study of international migration. Such a role is intended to complement the roles of other social scientists and to create a more interdisciplinary way forward for the field of migration studies. The research note concludes with an agenda for further scholarship on migration.

Somatic Reversion of a Novel IL2RG Mutation Resulting in Atypical X-Linked Combined Immunodeficiency.

Mutations of the IL2RG gene, which encodes for the interleukin-2 receptor common gamma chain (γC, CD132), can lead to X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (X-SCID) associated with a T-B+NK- phenotype as a result of dysfunctional γC-JAK3-STAT5 signaling. Lately, hypomorphic mutations of the IL2RG gene have been described causing atypical SCID with a milder phenotype. Here, we report three brothers with low-normal lymphocyte counts and susceptibility to recurrent respiratory infections and cutaneous warts. The clinical presentation combined with dysgammaglobulinemia suspected an inherited immunity disorder, which has been proven by Next Generation Sequencing as a novel c.458T > C; p.Ile153Thr IL2RG missense-mutation. Subsequent functional characterization revealed impaired T-cell proliferation, low TREC levels and a skewed TCR Vß repertoire in all three patients. Interestingly, investigation of various subpopulations showed normal expression of CD132 but with partially impaired STAT5 phosphorylation compared to healthy controls. Additionally, we performed precise genetic analysis of subpopulations revealing spontaneous somatic reversion, predominately in lymphoid derived CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Our data demonstrate that the atypical SCID phenotype noticed in these three brothers is due to the combination of hypomorphic IL-2RG function and somatic reversion.

Culture-general and -specific associations of attachment avoidance and anxiety with perceived parental warmth and psychological control among Turk and Belgian adolescents.

Both the adolescent peer attachment and perceived parenting style literatures emphasize the role of the quality of the parent-child relationship in children's healthy adjustment beyond the family, but few studies have investigated links between adolescents' peer attachment and perceptions of parenting. We investigate relations of adolescents' perceptions of warmth and psychological control from parents with avoidance and anxiety in attachment to close friends in two contrasting cultures. Altogether, 262 Turk and 263 Belgian youth between 14 and 18 years of age participated. Cross-culturally, attachment avoidance was negatively related to maternal warmth, and attachment anxiety positively related to maternal and paternal control and negatively to paternal warmth. Beyond these general relations, attachment avoidance was associated with paternal psychological control in Belgians but not in Turks. The study provides cross-cultural evidence for specific relations between peer attachment and perceived parenting and suggests a culture-specific pathway for the development of attachment avoidance.

Religiosity, Values, and Acculturation: A Study of Turkish, Turkish Belgian, and Belgian Adolescents.

We address the understudied religious dimension of acculturation in acculturating adolescents who combine a religious Islamic heritage with a secularized Christian mainstream culture. The religiosity of 197 Turkish Belgian adolescents was compared with that of 366 agemates in Turkey (the heritage culture) and 203 in Belgium (the mainstream culture) and related to cultural values, acculturation orientations, and ethnic identification. Belgian adolescents showed lower and declining religiosity with age, whereas Turkish and Turkish Belgian adolescents were more religious regardless of age. Acculturating adolescents reaffirmed religion as compared with monocultural adolescents in Turkey. Religious reaffirmation was related to cultural values of interdependence, heritage culture maintenance, and ethnic identification.