Search

Marketers often assume that consumers comparing products (e.g., two TVs) will show a hedonic contrast. In other words, a product seems more appealing and consumers are willing to pay more for it when it is compared with an unappealing competitor than when it is compared with a highly appealing one. However, hedonic judgments (e.g., how appealing is this TV?) are confounded with underlying attribute judgments (e.g., how big is this TV?), and it is important to delineate their effects. This article presents six studies to disentangle them and shows evidence for two separate effects in opposite directions: while a product's attribute judgments contrast with those of a competitor, its hedonic judgments assimilate. Thus, marketing tactics based on the assumption of the hedonic contrast hypothesis can potentially backfire, reducing willingness to pay. More generally, this research reveals the hidden complexity underlying product comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immigrants and their native-born children often face considerable wage penalties relative to natives, but less is known about whether this inequality arises through differences in educational qualifications, segregation across occupations and establishments, or unequal pay for the same work. Using linked employer–employee data from Norway, the authors ask whether immigrant–native wage disparities 1) reflect differences in detailed educational qualifications, labor market segregation, or within-job pay differences; 2) differ by immigrant generation; and 3) vary across different segments of the labor market. They find that immigrant–native wage disparities primarily reflect sorting into lower-paying jobs, and that wage disadvantages are considerably reduced across immigrant generations. When doing the same work for the same employer, immigrant-background workers, especially children of immigrants, earn similar wages to natives. Sorting into jobs seems more meritocratic for university graduates, for professionals, and in the public sector, but within-job pay differences are strikingly similar across market segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research explores how respondents' ideology influences their perception of political parties' stances on various issues. Additionally, we examine how three distinct indicators of ideological strength—congruence between ideology and party affiliation, level of education, and engagement in political activities—affect these perceptions. Our empirical analyses rely on data from the 1968–2012 Cumulative American National Election Study dataset, which captures respondents' views on the stances of US political parties regarding ten key issues. We find that, after controlling for respondents' own issue positions, (i) perceptions of the positions held by the opponent party are strongly influenced by respondents' ideologies, and (ii) this influence is more pronounced among individuals with stronger ideological convictions, as indicated by the three aforementioned indicators. Conversely, when examining perceptions of one's favored party, ideology demonstrates a weak and inconsistent effect across the three markers of ideological strength. We discuss theoretical frameworks that may elucidate these findings, their implications for understanding political polarization, and we acknowledge limitations related to the dataset's characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mainstream studies on integration and assimilation, epitomized by scholars like Richard Alba and Nancy Foner, tend to equate the terms, describing them as processes in which migrants lose their ethnic salience and gradually become barely distinguishable from the white majority. Postcolonial critiques, most notably from Willem Schinkel and Adrian Favell, challenge these views labeling them as methodological nationalism that allegedly perpetuates racial biases and reduces migrants' agency. Ultimately Schinkel calls for deconstruction of the entire field of migration studies, while Favell advocates for separating integration from the logic of nation state. To rebuild a once-failed dialog between these influential but divergent perspectives, this article utilizes Klarenbeek's relational integration theory, which argues in favor of balancing egalitarian social relations between majorities and minorities over one-directional integration models that assign migrants the role of passive recipients. Using Klarenbeek's framework, I offer a critical perspective on both the mainstream tendency to problematize migrants and the radical deconstruction of integration suggested by postcolonial theorists. I argue that both mainstream and postcolonial scholars should move away from methodological whiteness, acknowledge the conceptual distinction between assimilation and integration, and incorporate insights from acculturation theories to foster a much-needed egalitarian dialog between their competing approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dodurga Pluton is located within the Central Pontides (northern Türkiye), has a SW--NE elongation, and consists of granodiorite and dacite porphyry. Previous studies have suggested that this pluton is Triassic in age, and its whole-rock geochemical systematics is consistent with that from adakitic magmatic occurrences rather than the classic arc granitoid suite. This study reports for the first time in situ/whole-rock radiogenic isotopic (Sr, Nd, and Pb) and mica/amphibole Ar--Ar age data to evaluate better its petrogenetic/geodynamic evolution and the chemical nature of mantle source(s). Unlike previous data, combined new in situ zircon U--Pb yield Late Cretaceous crystallization ages of 84.2 ± 0.9 Ma and 86.9 ± 0.9 Ma, and the Ar--Ar age data along with apatite fission track measurements suggest magma cooling extending to 82.3 ± 0.4 Ma and 85.4 ± 0.4 Ma, respectively. The apatite fission track (AFT) dating results also reveal that this pluton was buried at a depth of 2.5--3 km following a fast-cooling period during the Late Cretaceous and cooled/exhumed over 2 km during the Middle--Late Miocene (15--10 Ma) in a slow cooling phase. The overall data reported here suggest that the Dodurga Pluton represents melts derived from an enriched/metasomatized mantle source that interacted with lower crustal mafic rocks in an active continental margin as a result of northward subduction of the northern branch of the Neotethys Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing literature on racialized assimilation notes the likelihood of simultaneous upward mobility and persistent racial marginalization within immigrant-origin communities of color. Thus far, this literature has focused on the 'new second generation' and not fully explored how race, class, and immigration lay the structural foundations for persistent racial and ethnic identity and community formations even into later generations. Leveraging 93 in-depth interviews with third and fourth generation Japanese Americans in suburban Southern California, this paper explores the persistent impact of race and ethnicity on long-time, ostensibly assimilated Americans. Japanese American ethnic persistence is directly influenced by the arrival of similarly racialized, high-skill Asian immigrants who inhabit the same middle-class spaces. As Japanese Americans are racially lumped with these newcomers, they assert their ethnic distinctness as they simultaneously build Asian American communities in recognition of common racialized experiences. Given contemporary US immigration's non-white majority, this study illustrates the need for further exploration of the complex role of immigration and assimilation in shaping and replenishing middle-class minority understandings of race and ethnicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latino immigrants who often experience discrimination lack assimilation. The purpose of this exploration was to better understand the historical lack of assimilation and the relationship, in particular the access to higher education. In this study, assimilation was measured according to English mastery by Spanish speakers. The research question was focused on what extent the level of education relates to assimilation for Latinos in the US. A correlational design with multiple regression analysis was used in this study to analyze the Latino National Survey of 2006 secondary data (N =8634). Results indicated that education was significant. Further, current trends show an increased opportunity for education in the Latino group. There is also an increased need for higher education beyond 2030 in the US. The implications for social change include research-based information to develop programs for Latinos to adapt into the US population. Lastly, the author's positionality will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over a quarter century has passed since theoretical debates surrounding competing assimilation models emerged, and durably structured research on immigrants and their descendants in America and beyond. In this article, I offer a three-pronged reflection on the contemporary state of assimilation research. First, I aim to take stock of the relative merits of segmented and neoassimilation theories and their ability to explain major empirical trends in both the US and Europe. I argue that there is now an emerging empirical consensus about the second generation in the US and Western Europe primarily experiencing intergenerational progress rather than downward assimilation as envisioned by segmented assimilation theory. I then note six analytical challenges facing further theory building: clarifying the role of race and better understanding how cultural difference shapes assimilation trajectories, rethinking the relationship between immigrant socioeconomic mobility and the experience of belonging, acknowledging the importance of immigrant selectivity in conditioning assimilation, facing issues of in- and out-of-sample selectivity due to processes endogenous to assimilation such as ethnic attrition and incarceration, and studying the third generation. Looking out and into the future, I note the need for conversations across methodological traditions and specialist subfields to encourage further theoretical progress and assess existing data infrastructures and future data requirements. Finally, in tandem with machine learning applications allowing for empirical surprise and abductive reasoning, I argue that the current era of data plenitude and unprecedented ability to collect high-dimensional surveys through nonprobability online samples is likely to lead to further theoretical progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1978, the United States enacted the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) "to protect the best interest of Indian Children and to promote the stability and security of Indian tribes and families by the establishment of minimum Federal standards for the removal of Indian children and placement of such children in homes which will reflect the unique values of Indian culture." The ICWA was codified to address centuries of genocidal government policies, boarding schools, and coercive adoptions that ruptured many Native families. Now one of the strongest pieces of legislation to protect Native communities, the ICWA was designed to ensure that Native foster children are placed with Native families. Implementing the ICWA has not been smooth, however, as many non-Native foster parents and state governments have challenged the ICWA. While the ICWA has survived these legal challenges, including the recent 2023 Haaland v. Brackeen Supreme Court case, the rise of non-Natives claiming Native heritage, also known as self-indigenizers or "pretendians," represents a new threat to the ICWA. This Article presents a legal history and analysis of the ICWA to unpack the policy implications of pretendians in the U.S. legal context. This Article demonstrates how the rise of pretendians threatens to undermine the very purpose of the ICWA and thereby threaten the sovereignty of Native peoples. By legally sanctioning the adoption of Native children into non-Native pretendian homes, the ICWA can facilitate a new era of settlers raising Native children, rather than preventing this phenomenon as intended. In response, this Article offers concrete policy recommendations to bolster the ICWA against this threat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the economic assimilation of marriage migrants in South Korea. Females migrating from poorer countries to marry men in richer ones is an important phenomenon. Analyzing data from over 70,000 such marriages in Korea, we document that marriage migrants tend to have low earnings and employment rates upon arrival. However, their economic outcomes improve quickly and, after 15 years, they tend to have higher employment rates and income nearly equal to native-born Korean wives. Despite their successful integration into the Korean labor market, marriage migrants remain less likely than native-born Korean wives to report that they make daily expenditure decisions within their family. Leveraging unique ethnic variation among migrants who vary in their Korean language skills, we find that language skills facilitate a larger role for migrant wives in household decision-making. This study sheds light on the nuanced dynamics of assimilation, emphasizing that economic achievements may not necessarily translate into equitable decision-making power within the household for migrant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tides represent a crucial dynamic process in the ocean and play a vital role in both marine and atmospheric studies; thus, accurate simulation of tidal processes is of the utmost importance in tidal circulation models. Based on the sequential data assimilation method and the concept of the Kalman gain matrix, this paper proposes a new nudging method with spatially dependent coefficients for tidal assimilation. The spatial-dependent nudging method not only retains the advantages of the traditional nudging method but also facilitates the direct determination of a more reasonable spatial distribution of nudging coefficients. Utilizing the M2 tidal constituent (the main lunar semidiurnal tide) as an illustration, we conducted assimilation experiments of sea-level data to the barotropic circulation and tide model to assess the global harmonic constants of the M2 constituent. The results demonstrate that the spatial-dependent nudging method successfully mitigates deviations of tidal phase lag. Following assimilation using the new method, the deviations of the M2 tidal amplitude and phase lag can be reduced by 47% and 18% compared to the traditional nudging method, respectively, while the respective values for the non-assimilated case are as much as 9% and 11%. We also applied the S-nudging method to realistic tidal simulations and noted a significantly enhanced effectiveness relative to traditional methods, making it highly valuable for modeling oceanic tidal circulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the Sikh community in Belgium, emphasizing their endeavors to achieve a balance between integration and assimilation while preserving their cultural and religious identity. Using a case study approach, it analyzes the Sikh diaspora's interaction with Belgian norms and institutions through the lenses of assimilation, multiculturalism, and transnationalism. The research identifies various challenges, including the preservation of identity, experiences of discrimination, and the effects of Belgium's integration policies on the community. Since the 1970s, approximately 10,000 Sikhs from India have settled in Belgium, initially finding limited opportunities and working in labor, military, and agriculture. Over time, the second and third generations have transitioned towards business and social integration. Nevertheless, the community continues to experience political marginalization and remains disconnected from the Khalistan movement due to its limited political clout. While certain groups, such as the Sikh Youth of Belgium and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), continue to support Khalistan, their influence is relatively minor. Grounded in diaspora theory and aided by the interview data, this research provides significant insights into immigrant integration, cultural preservation, and the intricate dynamics between assimilation and multicultural coexistence within the Belgian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Escherichia coli K12 and Lelliottia amnigena PTJIIT1005 bacteria were isolated from the polluted Yamuna River (Delhi, India) site, which can remediate nitrate from groundwater media under anaerobic conditions. BV-BRC (Bacterial and Viral Bioinformatics Resource Center) information system, RAST, and PGAP servers were used to annotate the nitrogen metabolism genes from the genome sequence of these microbes. Here we compared the strains L. amnigena PTJIIT1005 with E. coli K12 in the context of nitrogen metabolism genes. Sequence alignment, similarity percentage, and phylogenetic analysis were done to find similarities between the genes. Common nitrogen genes of these strains, like respiratory nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, nitric oxide reductase, glutamine synthetase, and hydroxylamine reductase, have found good sequence similarity (83–94%) with each other. The PATRIC tool identified N-operons, and the nitrate reductase gene clusters were also determined as per literature survey. Protein–protein interaction network was constructed using STRING 12.0 database and Cytoscape v 3.10.0 software plug-in Network analyzer. On the basis of network topological parameters NarG, NarZ, NarY, NarH, NarI, NarV, NirB, NirD, NapA, and NapB are the key genes in network of E. coli K12 strain. Nar, NirB, NirD, NasA, NasB, NasC, NasD, NasE, and GlnA are the key genes in network of L. amnigena PTJIIT1005. Among these, NarG and NirB are the superhub genes because of having highest Betweenness centrality (BC) and node degree. The functional enrichment analysis was determined using PANTHER GENE ONTOLOGY and DAVID software exhibited their role in nitrogen metabolism pathway and nitrate assimilation. Further, SWISS-MODEL was used to predict the 3D protein structure of these enzymes, and after, these structures were validated by Ramachandran plot using the PROCHECK tool. The Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) method was used to determine the N-genes expression level in both strains. This study showed that E. coli K12 and L. amnigena PTJIIT1005 have common nitrogen metabolism genes involved in the same functional role, like the denitrification pathway. Additionally, operon arrangement study and PPI network revealed that E. coli K12 has only a denitrification pathway, while L. amnigena PTJIIT1005 has both an assimilation and denitrification pathway. PCR successfully amplified selected N-metabolizing genes, and the expression level of N-genes was high in strain L. amnigena PTJIIT1005. Our previous experimental study exhibited a better nitrate remediation rate in L. amnigena PTJIIT1005 over E. coli K12. This study confirmed the presence of assimilation and denitrification process through amplified N-metabolizing genes and showed high expression of N-genes in L. amnigena PTJIIT1005, which favor the evidence of better nitrate remediation in L. amnigena PTJIIT1005 over E. coli K12. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study considers the complex history of the Jewish diaspora that may have led to either direct or indirect adoption of Yiddish loanwords into American English, standard Japanese, Argentinian Spanish, and regional variants of Polish. This corpus-lexicographic loanword analysis connects the number of Jews in various regions with the status and entrenchment of Yiddish loanwords in the languages in question. The noted, in some cases, indirectness of loanword adoption is believed to be caused by varying degrees of language contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The segregation of consumption between the Russian- and Estonian-speaking populations residing in Estonia has been common knowledge in the popular imagination, mass media publications, and academic papers. Rather than undertaking an impossible mission to identify whether these narratives are true, in this article, I show how this repertoire of stories has fostered special marketing strategies and document the emergence of a special marketing niche of companies promising to teach how to market products to mainstream or minority consumers based on their presumed mental differences. Deriving from ethnographic fieldwork, I demonstrate how mythologies about ethnic segregation in consumption paradoxically result in integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the late 1990s, the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) problematised culturally diverse immigration and asylum and emphasised the importance of cultural homogeneity for peaceful social coexistence. This position was embodied in the Leitkultur debate—a body of political and media discourses that emphasises the need for ethnic minorities to assimilate into the national culture to reduce intergroup distinctions. However, in 2015, the government led by CDU's Angela Merkel opened Germany's doors to over one million refugees (mainly from Syria). To what extent was this shift towards a liberal policy accompanied by a shift from assimilation to multicultural frames to discuss the issue of immigration and asylum? To answer this question, the authors used a corpus-driven mixed method of qualitative and quantitative discourse analyses to analyse and compare Merkel's use of assimilation and multicultural frames in 14 discourses presented at the Integration Summits as transcribed in the Federal Government's official website across two periods: from 2010 to 2014 (before the crisis) and 2015 to 2020 (after the crisis). This study revealed that, despite Germany's generous response to the so-called 'Syrian Refugee Crisis', the problematisation of cultural diversity—crucial to the Leitkultur debate—is at the heart of Merkel's integration discourse throughout the periods analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corrections play a vital role within the integrated justice system, providing a recovery process for law violators. Correctional institutions aim not only to punish but also to rehabilitate and guide offenders toward social reintegration. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of assimilation programs in restoring the lives and livelihoods of prisoners and to explore how correctional institutions implement community-based corrections through these programs. A qualitative research approach was employed, utilizing data from relevant journals and regulations. An empirical legal analysis was conducted to examine the impact of assimilation programs on the rehabilitation of prisoners. The findings indicate that assimilation programs significantly enhance the self-improvement and social reintegration of prisoners. These programs provide essential skills training and community engagement opportunities, which are crucial for reducing recidivism. The study concludes that assimilation programs are effective in facilitating the recovery of prisoners and promoting their reintegration into society. This underscores the need for on-going support and enhancement of such programs within correctional institutions to ensure their success and the safety of the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to Rola El-Husseini’s article, “Double Standards and Dissonance: Women’s Rights and Freedom of Religion in the Global North,” this paper addresses the French approach to secularism and women’s rights within a context of coloniality. Analyzing France’s secular framework, I explore the secular control over Muslim women’s attire and identity, tracing these regulations back to colonial practices. By examining how religious expression, particularly in relation to Islam, is selectively restricted, this commentary highlights the paradox of French “laïcité” as both a liberating and oppressive force, revealing ongoing colonial legacies in contemporary women’s rights discourse.

When people make choices, the items they consider are often embedded in a context (of other items). How this context affects the valuation of the specific item is an important question. High-value context might make items appear less attractive because of contrast-the tendency to normalize perception of an object relative to its background-or more attractive because of assimilation-the tendency to group objects together. Alternatively, a high-value context might increase prior expectations about the item's value. Here, we investigated these possibilities. We examined how unavailable context items affect choices between two target items, as well as the willingness-to-pay for single targets. Participants viewed sets of three items for several seconds before the target(s) were highlighted. In both tasks, we found a significant assimilation-like effect where participants were more likely to choose or place a higher value on a target when it was surrounded by higher-value context. However, these context effects were only significant for participants' fastest choices. Using variants of a drift-diffusion model, we established that the unavailable context shifted participants' prior expectations towards the average values of the sets but had an inconclusive effect on their evaluations of the targets during the decision (i.e. drift rates). In summary, we find that people use context to inform their initial valuations. This can improve efficiency by allowing people to get a head start on their decision. However, it also means that the valuation of an item can change depending on the context.

Cameron et al. (2010) and Fruehwald & Gorman (2011) present the pattern of homorganic consonant cluster reduction in Catalan as a challenge to Baković’s (2005) theory of antigemination, which predicts that any feature ignored in the determination of consonant identity for the purposes of antigemination in a given language must independently assimilate in that language. I argue that the pattern in Catalan is not a counterexample to this prediction if the reduction process is analyzed as coalescence, following Wheeler (2005), rather than as deletion.

Drawing feminist analyses of the affective work of shame, compassion and pain into dialogue with Black political theory's critique of the 'ordinary' spectacle of Black suffering and death, this article theoretically examines the disciplining of Black maternal subjects who behave badly in Nordic public space. Considering media coverage of two separate instances from 2019 where Black mothers are either threatened by the risk of death or succumb to death, this article analyses how the racial logics of national assimilation locate these women as deviantly unassimilable subjects who are swiftly made culpable for the conditions of their own suffering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early College High Schools (ECs) aim to increase postsecondary enrollment and degree attainment, specifically among historically minoritized populations. Research outlines the positive outcomes of ECs, yet less research examines the unintended consequences of these consolidated college preparation programs. Through interviews with 13 EC graduates, this qualitative study investigated the social and cultural sacrifices made in exchange for program participation. Using Cultural Reproduction Theory, this study examines the role ECs play in maintaining social hierarchies and perpetuating dominant cultural values. Findings reveal students' reflections on the costs and long-term impacts of their EC experience. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between God and humans has been a matter of controversy that interests both philosophers and theologians alike. Establishing a relationship between the infinite God and finite human is particularly challenging if one admits that God and humans are substantially different from each other. The biblical doctrine of the image of God responds to this challenge by stating that the relationship between God and humans is a kind of likeness or assimilation. This doctrine does not only establish the nature of the relationship between God and humans but also views both God's and humans’ nature in a particular way and determines humans’ purpose and distinguishing feature in relation to God. While there is a very long and extensive tradition focusing on identifying the similarities and differences between God and humans to determine the precise relationship between them in light of this doctrine, this paper will focus on Nicolaus Cusanus' original contribution to this long-lasting debate. In order to emphasize Cusanus' differences from his predecessors, I will present a general historical background of the doctrine of the image of God. In particular, I will point out the main tenets of Greek and Latin patristic traditions by identifying their differences and shared assumptions. Additionally, I will briefly present Augustine's dynamic account of the image of God, which holds an important place both in the discussion among these traditions and in the development of Cusanus' doctrine of the human mind as the living image of God. As this paper will demonstrate, Cusanus improves upon Augustine's account by allowing humans to be considered as an equal image of God, which was attributed only to Jesus by Augustine. Cusanus thinks that the human mind can be considered equal to the divine mind because it demonstrates characteristics of free creative activity and being the cause of something from nothing in cognition. Moreover, to elaborate Cusanus' original contribution to this debate, I will explain how the human mind reflects the triadic nature of divine mind in itself through its cognitive activity by giving a detailed account of Cusanus’ theory of cognition as assimilation. This explanation will also show how reading Cusanus' theory of cognition as assimilation alongside the concept of equality exhibits the principle of ‘identity in difference’ in both the nature of the human mind and its relationship with the divine mind.

The study integrates Gravity Recovery and climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite data which provides Terrestrial Water Storage with Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) which provide the hydrological components of surface water and soil moisture and investigated groundwater storage variability in West Africa Between April, 2002 to March, 2024 (240) months. Groundwater storage is a critical component of hydrological circle which has a significant implication for water availability and sustainability especially in areas where surface water is scare like some parts of west Africa, however, the spatiotemporal of groundwater storage is poorly understood in west Africa. The results reveal significant variability in groundwater storage across the study area, the analyses shows that the groundwater storage is primarily influence by regional hydrological components including surface water and soil moisture as well as climatical factors (precipitation and temperature). The study also highlights the impact of climate variability on groundwater storage in West Africa. Significant correlations are observed between groundwater storage and hydrological components, indicating that changes in SW and SM play a crucial role in driving fluctuations in groundwater storage. The results provide valuable insights into the dynamics of groundwater storage in West Africa and contribute to a better understanding of the region's water resources. This information is of vital importance for water resource management, particularly in the face of ongoing climate change and increasing water demand. The study emphasizes the need for comprehensive monitoring and management strategies to ensure sustainable groundwater use in West Africa.

Previous studies find that Asian American parents enforce a strict academics-centered success frame upon their children. However, there is limited research on the actual standards of successful childrearing from the perspective of parents. Drawing on in-depth interviews with middle-class parents of Chinese and Indian descent in New Jersey (N = 44) conducted between December 2020 and January 2022, I contest the conception of a unidirectional parental assimilation process that presumes White middle-class families to be the default destination for assimilation. I argue that middle-class Asian American parenting can be better understood as an 'inclusive assimilation' process. Parents not only aim for a well-rounded education for their children as touted by White parents but, similarly to Black and Hispanic families, also embrace racial socialization efforts in their parenting, partly in response to the rise in anti-Asian violence observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the experiences of international college athletes (ICAs) at a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III (DIII) small private institution in the Southern part of the United States (U.S.). ICAs are an integral part of the athletic and academic community and have been part of the NCAA for over 50 years; however, there is limited research surrounding this population's experience of belonging at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), especially at the NCAA DIII level. Drawing on Strayhorn and Merleau-Ponty, this study employs focus groups to examine the lived experience of ICAs (n = 18) and their sense of belonging. The findings reveal the challenges ICAs face, how they overcome these challenges by finding belonging, and feeling forced to assimilate to fit in. We conclude with suggestions for the NCAA and its member institutions, including the need for more research to be conducted on ICAs, particularly at the DIII level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflecting on the 100th anniversary of the 1924 Immigration Act, this brief essay suggests that the idea of "US American Empire" forms the telos of the last one hundred years of US immigration policy. Whether in the twentieth or the twenty-first centuries, or under Republican or Democratic leadership, US lawmakers have sought to restrict immigration to those who were deemed most "assimilable." Such moves are not only about preserving or instituting a particular racial character of the United States but ensuring a particular role for the United States globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respecting multicultural values in Azerbaijan is one of the priority areas of our state policy. Today, the increase of interest in the problem of multiculturalism is observed in our country as well as in the whole world, which is not a decrease of various differences occurring in all spheres of life within the society, but on the contrary, it is related to a clear increase of these tendencies. On the other hand, it is the problem of migration that closely affects the problem of multiculturalism. Today, the root of the migration problem, which has gripped the whole world, is related to the conflicts between the indigenous peoples and the representatives of the new peoples in the cultural, religious and all other important areas of life. Perception, assimilation and adaptation of other cultural practices serve as a kind of stimulus for the emergence and development of new cultural forms. As a rule, the intensification and acceleration of the processes of mutual exchange between local cultures due to new communication technologies complicates the processing and selection of information, its understanding, systematization and "owning". On the other hand, in the modern globalized world, in the conditions of increasing volume of unstructured foreign culture in the national culture that receives it, the possibility and danger of melting and dissolving the "special" and "individual features" of the local culture by the foreign culture is of course very high it is big. The influence of "eurocentrism" and "europeanism" on the problem of multiculturalism is also reflected in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a densely populated city, Hong Kong's housing market is the least affordable in the world. This paper aims to uncover the underlying socio-economic factors behind the changing homeownership patterns of new immigrants before and after the handover. While Mainland immigrants enjoyed the highest likelihood of homeownership among new immigrants before the handover, their advantage disappeared after the handover. The findings support the Assimilation theory's prediction that homeownership is lower among those less assimilated in general, but not among Mainland migrants. Those who were married, well-educated, employers; and had longer residences were more likely to be homeowners. Various admission schemes are implemented to attract talents, professionals and entrepreneurs to reside in Hong Kong but there is no accompanying housing policy to enable immigrants to become homeowners. The results show the homeownership rate of new immigrants dropped by more than half after the handover. Immigrants may feel less secure calling Hong Kong their home if they don't own a "home". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing spatiotemporal fusion technology can provide abundant data source information for assimilating crop growth model data, enhancing crop growth monitoring, and providing theoretical support for crop irrigation management. This study focused on the winter wheat planting area in the southeastern part of the Loess Plateau, a typical semi-arid region, specifically the Linfen Basin. The SEBAL and ESTARFM were used to obtain 8 d, 30 m evapotranspiration (ET) for the growth period of winter wheat. Then, based on the 'localization' of the CERES-Wheat model, the fused results were incorporated into the data assimilation process to further determine the optimal assimilation method. The results indicate that (1) ESTARFM ET can accurately capture the spatial details of SEBAL ET (R > 0.9, p < 0.01). (2) ESTARFM ET can accurately capture the spatial details of SEBAL ET (R > 0.9, p < 0.01). The calibrated CERES-Wheat ET characteristic curve effectively reflects the ET variation throughout the winter wheat growth period while being consistent with the trend and magnitude of ESTARFM ET variation. (3) The correlation between Ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) ET and ESTARFM ET (R2 = 0.7119, p < 0.01) was significantly higher than that of Four-Dimensional Variational data assimilation (4DVar) ET (R2 = 0.5142, p < 0.01) and particle filter (PF) ET (R2 = 0.5596, p < 0.01). The results of the study provide theoretical guidance to improve the yield and water use efficiency of winter wheat in the region, which will help promote sustainable agricultural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is the operational dynamical nowcasting application over different parts of India from Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) using Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) network of multiple radars and numerical weather prediction (NWP) model. The High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) approach has been adopted to achieve this objective in which the DWR data are hourly assimilated at convective-scale in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The designated NWP setup implemented for very short-range to nowcasting of weather is defined as the IMD-HRRR modelling system. Various quality controls are employed before assimilating DWR data in the IMD-HRRR system. Three different domains are specified over India that cover the entire Indian landmass, and next 12-h predictions are provided from hourly cyclic assimilation experiments. The results of all domains suggested that the IMD-HRRR predictions are not degraded with forecast lengths (up to 12 h) when compared against observations e.g. Synop, Metar, Buoy, total precipitable water (TPW) from GPS stations. Minimum errors are achieved when model predictions are compared against Buoy and TPW observations. The correlation values are higher than 0.9 for all domains. Furthermore, the IMD-HRRR model forecasts are also compared with observed DWR radial winds to demonstrate auxiliary applications of the DWR data for model verifications at high spatio-temporal resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specific gabbro with the main rock-forming mineral of fassaite—alumina-rich (up to 12 wt % Al2O3) calcium pyroxene, typical of high-temperature metasomatic rocks, are characterized. In terms of the geochemical characteristics, the fassaite gabbros are close to the subalkaline monzogabbros of the Ust'-Krestovsky complex, which are widely distributed within the Krestovsky subterrane of the Olkhon terrane (Western Baikal region). At the same time, they differ sharply from the latter in having a higher content of CaO and MgO and a lower content of SiO2 and Al2O3. Fassaite gabbro composes several small bodies framed the Ust'-Krestovsky monzogabbro massif, without contacting the latter. A model of the formation of fassaite gabbro due to the assimilation of carbonate (crustal carbonate melts) by subalkaline mafic magma is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to Diaspora criticism's recommendations for listening to underground voices, often eclipsed by the leading diaspora figures, the present paper brings attention to the blossoming literary work of the contemporary Moroccan-American writer Laila Lalami. Her fiction, four full-length novels and short prose so far, is argued to intertwine creatively with the major scholarly turns that have marked diasporic literary criticism since its inception in the early 1990s. It registers certain mobility and shifts of concerns from the tropes of homesickness, through homelessness to the rhetoric of transnationalism to grapple with white hegemonic spatiality and politics. However, the focus here is laid on her latest novel The Other Americans (2019) which features minorities from different ethnic backgrounds, yet converging in the enmeshment of their personal lives with the political forces, which intensifies the unsettled issues of identity in the US. Though no material principles of assimilation are proposed, Lalami's implied protagonist's eventual urges for complete integration into mainstream society draw on the power of love and forgetting rather than violence and revenge. In so doing, Lalami's materialist perspective is believed to debunk the Trumpist right political paranoia with reference to the assimilating capability of immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how teachers working with newly arrived adolescent refugee students reflect on these students, their situation within the educational system and in Norwegian society. We research the ways in which these reflections engage with the various understandings of the ubiquitous and 'fuzzy' notion of immigrant integration, a concept which we approach critically. The empirical data consists of interviews with teachers in three Adult Education establishments in Norway. Our aim was to identify the narratives of integration the teachers draw on and (re)produce, and to discuss these in relation to policies and perceptions of integration in Norwegian schools and society. Our analysis identified three narratives of integration, namely (1) Integration as having social relations with 'Norwegians', (2) Integration as acquiring knowledge and (3) Integration as endorsing 'Norwegian' values. These narratives exist alongside a corresponding image of the newly arrived migrant students as socially unintegrated and as educationally and culturally deficient. The article's main argument is that the teachers' narratives, despite their complex and multifaceted character, are embedded in an educational and societal context where the longstanding Norwegian ideal of cultural sameness leads to added pressure on immigrants to assimilate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence on whether the immigrant health paradox (i.e., immigrants having better health than natives of nonmigrant background) extends to children and youth is mixed and often based on self-reported survey data. In this study, we use population-wide administrative microdata from Norwegian demographic and health registries to investigate health inequalities between adolescents with foreign-born and native-born parents, paying specific attention to variation across immigrant generations, origin countries, and types of diagnoses. In this registry-based study, we estimate differences in the likelihood of somatic and mental disorders using logistic regression and population-wide health records for adolescents aged 16–20 years (N = 616,835). Child immigrants and native-born children of immigrants have fewer consultations for somatic and psychiatric diagnoses in adolescence compared to natives, while native-born children with mixed parental background have health outcomes more similar to natives. The differences are most pronounced for mental disorders. Differences across immigrant generations persist when stratifying by country of origin and when looking at specific diagnoses. The findings support the existence of an immigrant health advantage, which we find across various psychiatric and somatic diagnoses and for most immigrant generations. A key task for future research is to explore specific mechanisms underlying these patterns and to address potential inequities in the quality of health care provided to immigrant-background youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the Faculty of Divinity of Ankara University / Ankara Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of Ankara Universitesi Ilahiyat Fakultesi Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Illusions are like holes in our effortless visual mechanism through which we can peep into the internal mechanisms of the brain. Scientists attempted to explain underlying physiological, physical, and cognitive mechanisms of illusions by the receptive field hierarchical organizations, information sampling, filtering, etc. Some antagonistic illusions cannot be explained by them and for this, deep learning networks were used recently as a model for illusion perception. To further broaden the scope of the perceptual functionality in the brightness contrast genre, handle the background removal effects on some illusions that reduce the illusory effects, and replicate the antagonistic illusions with the same parameter setup, we have used Convolutional Neural Network, Autoencoder, U-Net, and U-Net++ models for replicating the visual illusions. The networks are specialized in low-level vision tasks like De-noising, De-blurring, and a combination of both. A high number of brightness contrast visual illusions are tested on all the networks and most of the outcomes significantly matched human perceptions. Overall, our method will guide the development of neurobiological frameworks which might enrich the computational neuroscience study by distilling some biological principles. On the other hand, the machine learning community will benefit from knowing the inherent flaws of the networks so that the true image of reality can be taken into consideration, especially in imaging situations where experts too can be deceived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how investors incorporate unrealized gains or losses reported in Other Comprehensive Income (OCI) into their investment judgments. Since unrealized gains or losses can be presented in either OCI or net income—gains from trading securities are included in net income, while those from available-for-sale securities are reported in OCI (ASC 320 and ASC 851)—it raises the question of whether OCI items are perceived as equally significant as net income items. To explore this, we conducted a 2 × 2 experiment with 240 individual investors, manipulating the presentation of unrealized gains or losses in either net income or OCI. Our findings reveal that unrealized gains are valued significantly lower when presented in OCI compared to net income, indicating that investors see OCI-reported gains as less relevant. However, for unrealized losses, the incorporation degree remained consistent across both presentations, reflecting a general aversion to unrealized losses regardless of how they are reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phonological assimilation phenomena are often restricted by morphological boundaries. This paper presents data from Mgira in order to argue that both root boundaries and affix boundaries serve to block assimilation processes such as nasal place assimilation and postnasal voicing. The result is that assimilation may obtain, but only within morphemes, not across them. This is analysed as confirmation of the power of the CrispEdge constraints proposed by Itô and Mester (1999) to take precedence over general markedness constraints, blocking feature spreading across morphological boundaries. The analysis is claimed to yield the same effect as a Morpheme Structure Constraint, limiting the force of a constraint to within the boundaries of morphemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]