Hispanic Immigration to the United States

This chapter presents some of the exceptional characteristics of recent Hispanic immigration to the United States. In 2005, there were nearly 40 million Hispanic immigrants and descendants of Hispanic immigrants living in the U.S. The assimilation experience of this large cultural group does not seem to be following the path past immigrants to the U.S. followed. Most third generation Hispanics in the U.S. still find themselves with income and education levels below the U.S. averages. Most forecasts predict that about 60 million Hispanics and Hispanic-Americans will be living in the U.S. by 2030

Immunological assays for chemokine detection in in-vitro culture of CNS cells

Herein we review the various methods currently in use for determining the expression of chemokines by CNS cells in vitro. Chemokine detection assays are used in conjuction with one another to provide a comprehensive, biologically relevant assessment of the chemokines which is necessary for correct data interpretation of a specific observed biological effect. The methods described include bioassays for soluble chemokine receptors, RNA extraction, RT-PCR, Real - time quantitative PCR, gene array analysis, northern blot analysis, Ribonuclease Protection assay, Flow cytometry, ELISPOT, western blot analysis, and ELISA. No single method of analysis meets the criteria for a comprehensive, biologically relevant assessment of the chemokines, therefore more than one assay might be necessary for correct data interpretation, a choice that is based on development of a scientific rationale for the method with emphasis on the reliability and relevance of the method

Schooling and Poor Children in 19th-Century America

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68138/2/10.1177_000276429203500307.pd

Antigen-specific influence of GM/KM allotypes on IgG isotypes and association of GM allotypes with susceptibility to Plasmodium falciparum malaria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>malaria is a complex disease in which genetic and environmental factors influence susceptibility. IgG isotypes are in part genetically controlled, and GM/KM allotypes are believed to be involved in this control.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study, 216 individuals from Daraweesh, an area of seasonal malaria transmission in Sudan, were followed for nine years for malaria infection. Total IgG and IgG isotypes against four malaria antigens, MSP2-3D7, MSP2-FC27, AMA1, and Pf332-C231 were measured in plasma obtained from the cohort at the end of the study, during the dry malaria-free period. The GM/KM allotypes of the donors were determined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The GM 1,17 5,13,14,6 phenotype was associated with a higher incidence of malaria compared with the non-1,17 5,13,14,6 phenotypes (P = 0.037). Paradoxically, the carriers of the GM 1,17 5,13,14,6 phenotype had significantly higher baseline levels of total IgG and non-cytophilic IgG isotypes as compared to non-carriers. The KM allotypes influence on IgG isotypes level was limited. Finally, the differences in the baseline concentrations of total IgG and IgG isotypes between the different GK/KM phenotype carriers were antigen-dependent.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The results show that GM but not KM allotypes appeared to influence host susceptibility to uncomplicated malaria as well as the antibody profile of the donors, and the carriers of the GM 1,17 5,13,14,6 phenotype were the most susceptible</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The GM allotypes have significant influence on susceptibility to uncomplicated <it>P. falciparum </it>malaria and antigen-dependent influence on total IgG and IgG subclasses.</p

Sa‘īd b. Ḥasan, biographical notes through the prism of Masālik al-Naẓar

The Islamic polemical tract Kitāb Masālik al-Naẓar reveals much about its author, the Jewish apostate Sa‘īd b. Ḥasan. Sa‘īd plunges into diverse polemic themes, including some with which he is poorly acquainted, and uses sources from all three Abrahamic faiths, showing greater familiarity with Jewish sources than with the Qur’ān. The discussion explores Sa‘īd’s treatment of various issues in Muslim-Jewish polemics through the prism of his important polemical tract, Masālik al-Naẓar, and takes one of the first steps toward lifting Sa‘īd out of his undeserved obscurity in scholarship

Intersectional Differences in Segmented Assimilation: Skill and Gender in the Context of Reception

Purpose - Segmented assimilation theory predicts that contemporary non-white groups follow three patterns of assimilation: mainstream, downward, or delayed. Yet, the homogenous treatment and primacy of ethnicity resigns all group members to a similar fate. Whereas few studies of ethnic incorporation consider both the classed and gendered nature of the labor market, this study investigates the extent to which intersectional group differences within the highly stratified American economy shape segmented assimilation trajectories. Methodology/approach - This study introduces an intersectional approach to segmented assimilation theory. Using the 2000 census, this study examines how within group differences in skill and gender condition the hourly earnings, joblessness and self-employment participation outcomes of five ethnic minority groups from the first to the second generation, compared against US-born, non-Hispanic whites.Findings - Findings generally support the mainstream assimilation hypothesis for all groups; a downward assimilation trajectory among Chinese men only; and a delayed assimilation trajectory for low-skilled Filipinas and high-skilled Cuban men and women. This study reveals that intra-group differences in skill and gender shape divergent segmented assimilation trajectories among members of the same ethnic group. Originality/value - This study challenges the emphasis on and primacy of ethnicity in predicting segmented assimilation in favor of an intersectional approach that considers how multiple, interdependent, and intersecting dimensions of identity and not only ethnicity shape the process of economic incorporation among ethnic groups

The nuclear orphan receptor Nr4a2 induces Foxp3 and regulates differentiation of CD4+ T cells

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have a central role in maintaining immune homoeostasis through various mechanisms. Although the Forkhead transcription factor Foxp3 defines the Treg cell lineage and functions, the molecular mechanisms of Foxp3 induction and maintenance remain elusive. Here we show that Foxp3 is one of the direct targets of Nr4a2. Nr4a2 binds to regulatory regions of Foxp3, where it mediates permissive histone modifications. Ectopic expression of Nr4a2 imparts Treg-like suppressive activity to naïve CD4+ T cells by inducing Foxp3 and by repressing cytokine production, including interferon-γ and interleukin-2. Deletion of Nr4a2 in T cells attenuates induction of Tregs and causes aberrant induction of Th1, leading to the exacerbation of colitis. Nr4a2-deficeint Tregs are prone to lose Foxp3 expression and have attenuated suppressive ability both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, Nr4a2 has the ability to maintain T-cell homoeostasis by regulating induction, maintenance and suppressor functions of Tregs, and by repression of aberrant Th1 induction