Anger at Mubarak's rule had built up over the past decade. An accidental president, who came to power because of Anwar Sadat's assassination on October 6, 1981, Mubarak initially calmed the public, ...stressed the rule of law, released political prisoners and encouraged parliamentary elections. However, as soon as he began his second term, in 1987, he refused to reform the constitution, extended the state of emergency, promulgated laws to exclude opposition parties from local councils and tightened the grip of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) over parliament. He denounced opposition groups for criticizing his policies and asserted, threateningly, "I am in charge, and I have the authority to adopt measures... I have all the pieces of the puzzle, while you do not.". Adapted from the source document.
Four key aspects of the Osama Bin Laden phenomenon are examined, focusing on why they are sufficiently comprehensive to explain why Bin Laden's message resonates widely in the Middle East and why the ...demise of Bin Laden will not, in itself, curb this dangerously militant movement. The US government's unilateralist and militarized reactions to the crisis in the Middle East continue to fuel popular anger.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that often persists into adulthood. Core symptoms of ADHD, such as impulsivity, are caused by an interaction of ...genetic and environmental factors. Epigenetic modifications of DNA, such as DNA methylation, are thought to mediate the interplay of these factors. Tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) is the rate-limiting enzyme in brain serotonin synthesis. The TPH2 gene has frequently been investigated in relation to ADHD, e.g., showing that TPH2 G-703T (rs4570625) polymorphism influences response control and prefrontal signaling in ADHD patients. In this (epi)genetic imaging study we examined 144 children and adolescents (74 patients, 14 females) using fMRI at rest and during performing a waiting impulsivity (WI) paradigm. Both, TPH2 G-703T (rs4570625) genotype and DNA methylation in the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) of TPH2 were associated with wavelet variance in fronto-parietal regions and behavioral performance, taking TPH2 genotype into account. In detail, comparisons between genotypes of patients and controls revealed highest wavelet variance and longest reaction times in patients carrying the T allele indicative for a gene-dosage effect, i.e., the WI phenotype is a direct result of the cumulative effect of ADHD and TPH2 variation. Regressions revealed a significant effect on one specific DNA methylation site in ADHD patients but not controls, in terms of a significant prediction of wavelet variance in fronto-parietal regions as well as premature responses. By the example of the TPH2 G-703T (rs4570625) polymorphism, we provide insight into how interactive genetic and DNA methylation affect the ADHD and/or impulsive endophenotype.
THE IMPASSE IN THE CIVIL WAR Lesch, Ann M.
Arab studies quarterly,
03/2001, Letnik:
23, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The civil war in Sudan is at an impasse, and the government and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement remain at loggerheads. The government and opposition are dividing into warring factions, ...epitomized by the power struggle between Islamists and the defection of the Umma leader from the opposition National Democratic Alliance.
Heather J. Sharkey's book, "Living with Colonialism: Nationalism and Culture in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan," is reviewed (University of California Press, 2003).
According to the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST), Gray’s dimension of impulsivity, reflecting human trait reward sensitivity, determines the extent to which stimuli activate the Behavioural ...Approach System (BAS). The potential neural underpinnings of the BAS, however, remain poorly understood. In the present study, we examined the association between Gray’s impulsivity as defined by the RST and event-related fMRI BOLD-response to anticipation of reward in twenty healthy human subjects in brain regions previously associated with reward processing. Anticipation of reward during a Monetary Incentive Delay Task elicited activation in key components of the human reward circuitry such as the ventral striatum, the amygdala and the orbitofrontal cortex. Interindividual differences in Gray’s impulsivity accounted for a significant amount of variance of the reward-related BOLD-response in the ventral striatum and the orbitofrontal cortex. Specifically, higher trait reward sensitivity was associated with increased activation in response to cues indicating potential reward. Extending previous evidence, here we show that variance in functional brain activation during anticipation of reward is attributed to interindividual differences regarding Gray’s dimension of impulsivity. Thus, trait reward sensitivity contributes to the modulation of responsiveness in major components of the human reward system which thereby display a core property of the BAS. Generally, fostering our understanding of the neural underpinnings of the association of reward-related interindividual differences in affective traits might aid researchers in quest for custom-tailored treatments of psychiatric disorders, further disentangling the complex relationship between personality traits, emotion, and health.
