Warmth and competence predict overoptimistic beliefs for out-group but not in-group members

People can be overly optimistic not only about their own future but also for the people with whom they identify. Furthermore, interpersonal perception generally forms along two universal dimensions, i.e. warmth and competence. In this study, we created four fictional characters that would map onto each quadrant of the two-dimensional space of warmth and competence, i.e. one in-group member (high on both warmth and competence) and three out-group members (high warmth, low competence; high competence, low warmth; low on both warmth and competence). We then asked respondents to assess the likelihood of each character experiencing a series of identical desirable and undesirable events in order to uncover potential optimistic biases. Our study had two goals. First, we wanted to balance the target desirable and undesirable events on four key characteristics, i.e. event frequency, controllability, emotional intensity and personal experience with the event. Second, we wanted to investigate whether stereotypes of warmth and competence could influence the respondents’ likelihood estimates for each character. We show that respondents manifested a strong desirability bias, expecting more desirable than undesirable events for the in-group member and the reverse pattern for the extreme out-group member. More important, we show that, within desirable and undesirable events, respondents anchored their judgments for the in-group member on their personal experience with the target events, further revealing an egocentric bias, but turned to stereotypical knowledge in the form of warmth and competence to judge out-group members. Implications for both social perception and optimism research are discussed

Traces of trauma – a multivariate pattern analysis of childhood trauma, brain structure and clinical phenotypes

Background: Childhood trauma (CT) is a major yet elusive psychiatric risk factor, whose multidimensional conceptualization and heterogeneous effects on brain morphology might demand advanced mathematical modeling. Therefore, we present an unsupervised machine learning approach to characterize the clinical and neuroanatomical complexity of CT in a larger, transdiagnostic context. Methods: We used a multicenter European cohort of 1076 female and male individuals (discovery: n = 649; replication: n = 427) comprising young, minimally medicated patients with clinical high-risk states for psychosis; patients with recent-onset depression or psychosis; and healthy volunteers. We employed multivariate sparse partial least squares analysis to detect parsimonious associations between combinations of items from the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and gray matter volume and tested their generalizability via nested cross-validation as well as via external validation. We investigated the associations of these CT signatures with state (functioning, depressivity, quality of life), trait (personality), and sociodemographic levels. Results: We discovered signatures of age-dependent sexual abuse and sex-dependent physical and sexual abuse, as well as emotional trauma, which projected onto gray matter volume patterns in prefronto-cerebellar, limbic, and sensory networks. These signatures were associated with predominantly impaired clinical state- and trait-level phenotypes, while pointing toward an interaction between sexual abuse, age, urbanicity, and education. We validated the clinical profiles for all three CT signatures in the replication sample. Conclusions: Our results suggest distinct multilayered associations between partially age- and sex-dependent patterns of CT, distributed neuroanatomical networks, and clinical profiles. Hence, our study highlights how machine learning approaches can shape future, more fine-grained CT research

OLDAPS - obsidian least destructive analysis provenancing system : an application study

Zsfassung in dt. SpracheDas natürliche, vulkanische Glas Obsidian ist auf relativ wenige Vorkommen von werkzeugtauglicher Qualität beschränkt. Die Herkunftsbestimmung von Obsidian, der in grofler Entfernung von natürlichen Vorkommen gefunden wurde, liefert wichtige Kenntnisse über ur- und frühgeschichtliche Handelsbeziehungen. Wegen der weitgehenden Homogenität der natürlichen Vorkommen ist der sogenannte "chemische Fingerabdruck", die Elementzusammensetzung, zur Charakterisierung besonders geeignet. Die große Anzahl von unidentifizierten Artefakten in Museen verlangt nach einem Analysenverfahren, das eine optimale Schonung wertvoller Kulturobjekte bei maximalem Informationsgewinn garantiert. Mit dem Obsidian Least Destructive Analytical Provenancing System wurde eine neue Herangehensweise zur Herkunftsbestimmung für archäologische Obsidianartefakte entwickelt. Sieben der relevantesten Obsidianvorkommen aus Zentral- und Südeuropa wurden mit Hilfe von drei komplementären, analytischen Methoden charakterisiert: - Neutronenaktivierungsanalyse (NAA) - Kombinierte externe Ionenstrahlanalytik (IBA): Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) und Proton Induced Gamma-ray Emission (PIGE) - Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) Die Richtigkeit und Reproduzierbarkeit dieser Methoden wurde sowohl durch den direkten Vergleich der Analysendaten als auch durch die Untersuchung des zertifizierten Referenzglases BAM-S005B validiert. Die Kombination der Analyseverfahren ermöglichte die Bestimmung eines umfangreichen Elementspektrums bestehend aus 42 Elementen und enthüllte sieben charakteristische Schlüsselelemente (Ti, Co, As, Rb, Ba, Eu und U), die eine eindeutige Unterscheidung der untersuchten Vorkommen ermöglicht. Die mit OLDAPS entwickelte Strategie zur Herkunftsbestimmung archäologischer Artefakte, die höchstwahrscheinlich von zentral- oder südeuropäischen Obsidianvorkommen stammen, empfiehlt zu Beginn die Anwendung der zerstörungsfreien Ionenstrahlanalytik. Obwohl nur für einige Obsidianvorkommen eine eindeutige Identifizierung möglich ist, können gewisse Obsidianvorkommen ausgeschlossen oder zumindest eingegrenzt werden. Für detailliertere Informationen ist NAA das geeignetste analytische Verfahren, da diese Methode die größte Anzahl an Schlüsselelementen (Co, As, Ba, Eu und U) liefert.The natural volcanic glass obsidian is one of the classical objects of archaeometric analyses. Obsidian is generally described as a relatively homogeneous material and although the number of applicable geological sources is limited, numerous obsidian finds have been found all over the world far away from any natural outcrop. Reliable provenancing by means of the highly specific chemical composition, the "chemical fingerprint", can provide information about trading routes, extension of territory, long-distance contacts and the mobility of prehistoric people. Several museum collections contain large numbers of unidentified obsidian finds. Therefore, a novel scientific approach for provenancing obsidian artefacts found in archaeological contexts is demanded. The establishment of the Obsidian Least Destructive Analysis Provenancing System (OLDAPS) contributes to both conservation and prehistoric research by ensuring a minimum of destruction to gain a maximum of information. Obsidian samples of seven archaeologically relevant geological obsidian sources in Central and Southern Europe were characterized by the application of three different methods: Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) comprising of Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Particle Induced Gamma-ray Emission (PIGE) Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) The reproducibility and accuracy of analytical data is demonstrated by the excellent agreement between determined analytical results and certified values of glassy reference material BAM-S005B. The combination of methods shows a maximum element spectrum composed of 42 elements and reveals the most characteristic -key elements-, in particular Ti, Co, As, Rb, Ba, Eu and U, by which all seven obsidian sources are cleary discriminable. OLDAPS developed the following analytical strategy to provenance archaeological obsidian, which most likely stem from Central or Southern Europe: The application of non-destructive PIXE and PIGE at the beginning enables the identification of some obsidian sources or at least helps to narrow them down. For more detailed information NAA is the most appropriate analytical method, because it provides the largest number of key elements (Co, As, Ba, Eu, and U).25

Volcanic glass under fire - a comparison of three complementary analytical methods

https://thekeep.eiu.edu/aca_2018/1020/thumbnail.jp

B cell survival, surface BCR and BAFFR expression, CD74 metabolism, and CD8- dendritic cells require the intramembrane endopeptidase SPPL2A.

Druggable proteins required for B lymphocyte survival and immune responses are an emerging source of new treatments for autoimmunity and lymphoid malignancy. In this study, we show that mice with an inactivating mutation in the intramembrane protease signal peptide peptidase-like 2A (SPPL2A) unexpectedly exhibit profound humoral immunodeficiency and lack mature B cell subsets, mirroring deficiency of the cytokine B cell-activating factor (BAFF). Accumulation of Sppl2a-deficient B cells was rescued by overexpression of the BAFF-induced survival protein B cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) but not BAFF and was distinguished by low surface BAFF receptor and IgM and IgD B cell receptors. CD8-negative dendritic cells were also greatly decreased. SPPL2A deficiency blocked the proteolytic processing of CD74 MHC II invariant chain in both cell types, causing dramatic build-up of the p8 product of Cathepsin S and interfering with earlier steps in CD74 endosomal retention and processing. The findings illuminate an important role for the final step in the CD74-MHC II pathway and a new target for protease inhibitor treatment of B cell diseases