The Ninth Dimension of National Culture: Unpacking Cross-Cultural Communication Styles

This article aims to study the communication styles among different national cultures, that is, we examine the relationship between national culture, based on Hofstede model, and communication styles. In order to investigate the role of national culture, it is fundamental to first analyse the communication styles and then identify how these are related to each other. With a purpose to identify differences (or similarities) in communication styles across selected countries, a factor analysis was conducted, combined with an ANOVA test. Based on a sample from 10 different cultures: Germany, Sweden, Japan, China, Russia, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Serbia and North Macedonia, and using communication assessment instrument as well as the data on Hofstede’s six dimensions of national culture model, the findings show that different national cultures practise different communication styles. When Professional-Casual communication style is concerned, Germany is the most professional, while Japan is the most casual; that is, the least professional of all, while the analysis of the Cold-Warm communication styles leads us to the fact that Sweden is the coldest, and the US is the warmest country. The study’s significance is hopefully fundamental since it proposes an additional dimension, which is as frequent among cultures as it is rooted deeply in each culture. In this way, the article recommends that the countries ought to both comprehend their national culture and utilise it as a “tool” for understanding other cultures as well

The Ninth Dimension of National Culture: Unpacking Cross-Cultural Communication Styles

This article aims to study the communication styles among different national cultures, that is, we examine the relationship between national culture, based on Hofstede model, and communication styles. In order to investigate the role of national culture, it is fundamental to first analyse the communication styles and then identify how these are related to each other. With a purpose to identify differences (or similarities) in communication styles across selected countries, a factor analysis was conducted, combined with an ANOVA test. Based on a sample from 10 different cultures: Germany, Sweden, Japan, China, Russia, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Serbia and North Macedonia, and using communication assessment instrument as well as the data on Hofstede’s six dimensions of national culture model, the findings show that different national cultures practise different communication styles. When Professional-Casual communication style is concerned, Germany is the most professional, while Japan is the most casual; that is, the least professional of all, while the analysis of the Cold-Warm communication styles leads us to the fact that Sweden is the coldest, and the US is the warmest country. The study’s significance is hopefully fundamental since it proposes an additional dimension, which is as frequent among cultures as it is rooted deeply in each culture. In this way, the article recommends that the countries ought to both comprehend their national culture and utilise it as a “tool” for understanding other cultures as well

Selective Immobilization of Fluorescent Proteins for the Fabrication of Photoactive Materials

The immobilization of fluorescent proteins is a key technology enabling to fabricate a new generation of photoactive materials with potential technological applications. Herein we have exploited superfolder green (sGFP) and red (RFP) fluorescent proteins expressed with different polypeptide tags. We fused these fluorescent proteins to His-tags to immobilize them on graphene 3D hydrogels, and Cys-tags to immobilize them on porous microparticles activated with either epoxy or disulfide groups and with Lys-tags to immobilize them on upconverting nanoparticles functionalized with carboxylic groups. Genetically programming sGFP and RFP with Cys-tag and His-tag, respectively, allowed tuning the protein spatial organization either across the porous structure of two microbeads with different functional groups (agarose-based materials activated with metal chelates and epoxy-methacrylate materials) or across the surface of a single microbead functionalized with both metal-chelates and disulfide groups. By using different polypeptide tags, we can control the attachment chemistry but also the localization of the fluorescent proteins across the material surfaces. The resulting photoactive material formed by His-RFP immobilized on graphene hydrogels has been tested as pH indicator to measure pH changes in the alkaline region, although the immobilized fluorescent protein exhibited a narrower dynamic range to measure pH than the soluble fluorescent protein. Likewise, the immobilization of Lys-sGFP on alginate-coated upconverting nanoparticles enabled the infrared excitation of the fluorescent protein to be used as a green light emitter. These novel photoactive biomaterials open new avenues for innovative technological developments towards the fabrication of biosensors and photonic devices

Genetic aberrations of c-myc and CCND1 in the development of invasive bladder cancer

Detrusor muscle invasive transitional cell carcinoma is associated with poor prognosis and is responsible for the majority of bladder cancer related deaths. Amplifications of c-myc and CCND1 are associated with detrusor-muscle-invasive transitional cell carcinoma, however, their precise role in driving disease progression is unclear. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation on archival tissue from 16 patients with primary diagnosis of ⩾pT2 transitional cell carcinoma and 15 cases with primary pTa/pT1 disease subsequently progressing to detrusor-muscle-invasion was performed, in the latter group both pre and post muscle invasive events were studied. No patients presenting with ⩾pT2 had amplification of c-myc, two out of 16 (12.5%) had CCND1 amplification. Of patients who developed ⩾pT2, two out of 15 (13.3%) had amplification of c-myc, both in ⩾pT2, five out of 15 (33.3%) had CCND1 amplification, two in pTa/pT1 tumours, three in ⩾pT2 transitional cell carcinomas. In total, two out of 31 (6.5%) of patients' ⩾pT2 TCCs were amplified for c-myc and six out of 31 (19%) were amplified for CCND1. Eighty-seven per cent (40 out of 46) of tumours were polysomic for chromosome 8 and 80% (37 out of 46) were polysomic for chromosome 11 and this reflected the high copy numbers of c-myc and CCND1 observed. In almost all cases an increase in c-myc/CCND1 copy number occurred prior to invasion and persisted in advanced disease. Amplification of CCND1 or alterations in c-myc/CCND1 early in bladder cancer may have clinical relevance in promoting and predicting progression to detrusor-muscle-invasive transitional cell carcinoma

Food consumption and diet quality choices of Roma in Romania: a counterfactual analysis

This paper analyses the diet quality aspect of food security of Roma in Romania. We employed a modified Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition technique using Household Budget Survey data for the period 2004–2011. The estimates suggest that Roma have inferior diet diversity compared to the non-Roma. Around one-third of the diet diversity gap is explained by the differences in observed socio-economic factors, whereas the remaining part of the gap is attributed to unobserved factors. We argue that the unexplained component of the diet diversity gap is caused by the discrimination of the Roma on the labour market and by their specific informal institutions

Symbols and labels: Children’s awareness of social categories in a divided society

Aims: How and when children develop an understanding of group boundaries have implications for conflict resolution. When social divisions are not perceptually distinct, symbols become particularly important. Framed by Social Identity Development Theory, this study was designed to assess children’s categorization of symbols with conflict-related group labels. Method: In Northern Ireland, 218 children (M=8.14, SD = 1.83, range 5-11 years old) participated in a novel task designed for this study. The sample was evenly split by child gender and community background. Results: Children sorted symbols above chance with both the hypothesized national (i.e., British/Irish) and ethno-political (i.e., Protestant/Catholic) labels, showing a stronger association for the former. Sorting was also stronger for ingroup symbols, compared to outgroup symbols, and increased with age. Conclusion: These findings reflect the potential role that a divided social world has on the development of children’s understanding of conflict-related groups. The results also have implications for intergroup relations among children in divided societies.Queens University Belfast. School of PsychologyNorthern Ireland Department for the Economy (DfE)UKRI GCRF Global Impact Accelerator Awards (GIAA)British Psychological Society (BPS). Social Psychology Sectio