open_UMR

Aaron Beller

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Willkommen auf open_UMR!

Open_UMR ist ein digitales Repositorium: Ein fachübergreifendes Publikationsportal, das wissenschaftliche Textpublikationen, Ressourcen, Forschungsdaten und Software von Universitätsangehörigen der Philipps-Universität sammelt, verfügbar hält und im open access offen zugänglich macht. Im Sinne einer hohen Qualität sowie einer potentiellen Nachnutzbarkeit ist dieses Repositorium kuratiert.

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Open Access
“God is my refuge”: Do education and news consumption prompt Africans to put more trust in the COVID-19 vaccine than in prayer?
(Taylor and Francis)
Tuki, Daniel
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, extensive research has been conducted on people’s attitudes toward vaccines in Africa and other parts of the world. However, there remains a notable lack of studies exploring perceptions of a vaccine’s effectiveness compared to prayer in preventing COVID-19. Using large-N survey data from 15 African countries (n = 18,909), this study investigates how educational attainment and news consumption relates to Africans’ beliefs about whether a vaccine is more effective than prayer in preventing COVID-19. The descriptive analysis shows that 61% of Africans believe prayer is more effective than a vaccine in preventing COVID-19. Regression analysis reveals that education reduces individuals’ likelihood of believing prayer is more effective than vaccination. This might be because education promotes critical thinking and encourages trust in science, which is grounded in evidence, as opposed to prayer, which is rooted in supernatural beliefs. Likewise, news consumption reduces individuals’ beliefs in the superiority of prayer over vaccines, likely due to the widespread media coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic that highlighted the seriousness of the disease and encouraged vaccination. The analysis also shows that, compared to non-religious individuals, Christians and Muslims are more likely to believe in the effectiveness of prayer over vaccines, while those practicing ethnic/traditional religion are less inclined to hold such beliefs.
Open Access
TFE3-Translokationen im Nierenzellkarzinom: Korrelation von Morphologie, Immunhistochemie und Molekularpathologie sowie klinischer Verlauf
(2020-11-30)
Lenzen, Julia
;
Köhler, Gabriele
;
Denkert, Carsten
Renal cell carcinoma is the third most common urological cancer in Germany, accounts for more than 95 % of all renal malignancies in adults and is a distinctly heterogeneous group of malignant kidney tumours known for their great variation in clinical presentation and histological appearance. The current edition of the WHO Classification of Malignant Tumours (2016) distinguishes several subtypes of renal cell carcinomas; among them are Xp11 translocation renal cell carcinomas which belong to the MiT family translocation renal cell carcinoma. Xp11 translocation renal cell carcinomas are characterized by translocations involving the TFE3 gene located on chromosome Xp11.2. A particular focus of the present work was the evaluation of the correlation between the histomorphologic apperance and the molecular detection of TFE3 translocations in renal cell carcinomas. To investigate the occurrence of TFE3 translocations in different histological subtypes of renal cell carcinomas, 14 morphologically suspicious cases resembling Xp11 translocation renal cell carcinomas as well as 32 clear cell renal cell carcinomas and 11 papillary renal cell carcinomas were selected from a large collective of more than 600 cases which were diagnosed during the period from 2002 to 2011 in the Institute for Pathology of the Klinikum Fulda. The 57 choosen cases were screened for TFE3 translocations using a TFE3 break-apart fluorescence in situ hybridization. Then, a selection of these tumours was immunohistochemically characterized and their clinical course was evaluated. The analysis of the 57 renal cell carcinomas showed that TFE3 translocations using fluorescence in situ hybridization could be detected in all examined renal cell carcinomas regardless of the histological subtype and even in healthy, tumour-free kidneys. For the first time, a distinct inter- and intratumoural heterogeneity of the absolute number of TFE3 translocations in renal cell carcinomas could be shown. The average absolute number of TFE3 translocations as the sole criterion was neither useful in assigning the renal cell carcinomas to the histological subtypes nor suitable to reliably identify Xp11 translocation renal cell carcinomas. Using additional TFE3 immunohistochemistry, one case of Xp11 translocation renal cell carcinoma could be identified. This renal cell carcinoma with heteromorphic clear cell histomorphology was the only case showing a diffuse and strong TFE3 immunoreactivity. The diagnosis was confirmed by the results of the further immunohistochemical stainings with conventional markers. The identified Xp11 translocation renal cell carcinoma was diagnosed in a 51-year-old female patient at an early tumour stage without evidence of lymphogenic or haematogenic metastasis. The immunohistochemical studies of the remaining cases showed that due to morphological diversity, it was not possible to assign a renal cell carcinoma to one of the examined subtypes solely based on the histomorphological appearance. In addition to light microscopy, immunohistochemical analyses for subtyping renal cell carcinomas were required in order to take the morphological heterogeneity into account. Nevertheless, even after immunohistochemical analysis some cases had to be diagnosed as unclassified renal cell carcinomas according to the current edition of the WHO Classification since a characteristic marker profile was missing. To sum it up, for the reliable diagnosis of Xp11 translocation renal cell carcinomas, further cytogenetic and/or molecular pathological studies are necessary in addition to TFE3 immunohistochemistry and TFE3 fluorescence in situ hybridization. Besides, standardised evaluation and interpretation criteria for both TFE3 fluorescence in situ hybridization and TFE3 immunohistochemistry are required. Moreover, larger case studies simultaneously implementing immunohistochemistry, fluorescence in situ hybridization as well as cytogenetic and/or molecular pathological studies are required to determine the therapeutic and prognostic relevance of TFE3 translocations in renal cell carcinomas.
Open Access
Assessing the impact of violent conflict on attitudes toward military rule in Nigeria
(Taylor and Francis)
Tuki, Daniel
Violent conflict is often assumed to undermine democratic legitimacy and increase public support for authoritarian alternatives. Yet, empirical evidence remains limited, particularly in the context of developing democracies. Using the case of Nigeria, Africa’s largest democracy, this study examines the effect of violent conflict on attitudes toward military rule. It employs an instrumental variable strategy that leverages proximity to international borders as a source of exogenous variation in conflict exposure. Contrary to conventional expectations, findings indicate that individuals exposed to higher levels of violence are significantly less likely to support military rule. These results are robust to alternative operationalizations of violent conflict. Further analysis reveals that reduced support for military rule among individuals exposed to violence does not automatically translate into greater support for democracy. This study hence contributes to broader debates on regime legitimacy and authoritarian attitudes in fragile states.
Open Access
Pastoral conflicts and (dis)trust: evidence from Nigeria using an instrumental variable approach
(Cambridge University Press)
Tuki, Daniel
Even though the incidence of conflicts between Fulani nomadic pastoralists and sedentary communities in Nigeria has risen significantly in the last decade, there is a notable lack of research examining how these conflicts influence distrust toward members of the Fulani ethnic group and Muslims. Using novel survey data from Kaduna, the state with the third-highest incidence of pastoral conflict in Nigeria, this study addresses that gap. Regression analyses show that exposure to pastoral conflict increases distrust toward the Fulani and Muslims. This suggests a contagion effect whereby the Fulani are conflated with the broader Muslim population, due to the Muslim identity of nomadic Fulani pastoralists. Disaggregating the data by religious affiliation reveals a pattern: conflict exposure raises distrust only among Muslim respondents, while effects are statistically insignificant among Christians. Among Muslims, the positive effect suggests that pastoral conflict erodes ingroup cohesion. The null effect among Christians may reflect the way in which pastoral conflicts align with preexisting religious fault lines.
Open Access
Hearts and boundaries: Identity and attitudes toward interethnic marriage in Africa
(Cambridge University Press)
Tuki, Daniel
Using data from Afrobarometer surveys conducted across 39 countries (n ≈ 53,000), this study examines the relationship between ethnic identification and public attitudes toward interethnic marriage in Africa. Descriptive analyses indicate that most Africans are either supportive of or indifferent toward such unions. However, multivariate regression results show that individuals who identify more strongly with their ethnicity than their nationality are significantly less likely to support interethnic marriage. This negative association is particularly strong among rural residents. These findings suggest that strong ethnic identification can act as a barrier to social integration in multiethnic societies. They also highlight the importance of policies that foster inclusive national identities and encourage intergroup engagement through education and civic initiatives.