Satisfaction With The Status Quo: Why has Religious Terrorism not yet Gained Ground In Chad?

Chad is one of those countries touched by Islamist violence that has originated mostly from its neighbours. However, thus far Chadian Muslims and Christians have demonstrated a positive attitude toward religious cohabitation. Survey data from a unique dataset of five Chadian cities confirm the population’s willingness to accept peaceful coexistence as well as a high level of religiosity. However, the data reveal Islamist fundamentalist attitudes among wealthier respondents who received either an Islamic-based primary education or have a first university degree. This combination is an unusual result. These respondents also show the highest support for authoritarian structures and the Chadian leadership. This leads to the conclusion that Islamist fundamentalism is most prominent among those persons who benefit most from the present regime

The role of quality of life surveys in managing change in democratic transitions: the South African case

The South African Quality of Life Project has tracked subjective well-being, life satisfaction and happiness, since the early eighties at the national level. In most democratic countries around the globe, the average citizen says he or she is satisfied with life in general. In South Africa this is not the case. Since the early 1980s, the trend study shows up disparities between one sector of the South African population that is satisfied with life in general and various aspects of life and another sector that is very dissatisfied. Generally, the better-off report higher levels of satisfaction and happiness than the worse-off. The most plausible explanation for the South African quality-of-life constellation is the huge gap in living standards between rich and poor, a legacy of the apartheid era, which discriminated against blacks and to a lesser extent against Indian and coloured people. Euphoria following on the first democratic elections in April 1994, which registered equally high aggregate levels of happiness and life satisfaction among all sectors of the population, was short-lived. Under democracy, expectations “for a better life for all”, the election slogans for the 1994 and 1999 general elections, has risen. South Africa has one of the most enlightened constitutions, which guarantees basic human rights and supports advancement of the previously disadvantaged. As long as South Africans perceive barriers to accessing the material rewards of democracy, they do not see justice has been done. South Africa is currently grappling with problems common to other societies in transition to democracy. Since 1994, government programmes and policies have been devised to address the critical twin problems of poverty and inequality in society. The latest round of research for the South African Quality of Life Trends Project probes popular assessments of the policies and programmes aimed at improving the quality of life of ordinary South Africans. Interviews with a panel of 25 opinion leaders in the run-up to the June 1999 general elections were followed by a nationally representative opinion survey in October 1999. The paper outlines the role of social indicators in monitoring quality of life in South Africa and reports findings from the elite and rank-and-file surveys. Generally, the winners and losers in the new political dispensation see changes from a different perspective. The disadvantaged are more likely to have seen material gains and recommend increased delivery of services and opportunities for social mobility. The advantaged, who have mainly experienced non-material or no gains since 1994, are more likely to be pessimistic about the future. It is concluded that the groundswell of optimism will sustain the majority of South Africans who are still dissatisfied with life until their dreams of the good life are fulfilled

The global debate on the future of artificial intelligence: the need for international regulation and opportunities for German foreign policy

With the current developments in the field of artificial intelligence, the process of digitalisation has reached a new stage. Artificial intelligence makes it possible to analyse the large amounts of data collected today in completely new ways. Companies and countries are spending considerable resources to take advantage of these analytical possibilities. However, artificial intelligence is also dependent on the quality of the underlying data; it is completely unsuited for many tasks and has, so far, largely escaped human control. Germany should therefore use its influence in international forums to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in politically sensitive areas. In addition, the Federal Government should carefully examine on what data basis, for what purposes, and under what conditions artificial intelligence can make a contribution to the planning of foreign policy strategy. (author's abstract

South Africa's `Rainbow People', national pride and optimism: a trend study

Since the first democratic elections of 1994, South Africans are popularly known as the ‘rainbow people'. The paper reports the acceptance of the rainbow as political symbol of unity among the diverse people of South Africa at three times: Immediately after the 1994 elections, two years later in 1996, and five years later in 1999 after the second general elections. The database for the study are responses to items placed with a syndicated national survey conducted countrywide. The public discourse on the rainbow is reviewed through personal interviews with a panel of 25 elites contacted in the run-up to the second general elections. The researchers revisit conclusions based on the earlier results (Møller, Dickow and Harris, 1999). The third round of research finds that the appeal of the rainbow as political symbol has waned but is still inclusive of all groups in society. Projections of national pride have shifted from the rainbow as symbol of unity and reconciliation to other icons of achievement such as the Reconstruction and Development Programme and prowess in sport. Support for the political symbolism of the rainbow is positively associated with happiness, life satisfaction and optimism. Lack of a focus of national pride is associated with pessimism. Results support the conclusion reached earlier that belief in the `rainbow nation' ideal boosts optimism and promotes happiness during South Africa's transition to a stable democracy, thereby preventing alienation among the losers under the new political dispensation. Linkages between acceptance of the rainbow symbol, subjective well-being and optimism are discussed in the light of the socio-political changes which have taken place in South Africa since democracy

Preventive regulation of autonomous weapon systems: need for action by Germany at various levels

The authors argue that in order for Germany to do justice to its claim of outlawing lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) internationally, the Federal Government should first define the term "human control", for example in a strategic document from the Federal Ministry of Defence. The aim should be to facilitate the regulation of the development and use of LAWS - at the international level - thus making the issue of military robotics politically manageable. The international framework for negotiating the regulation of LAWS is currently the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. A Common Position of the EU member states that demands human control - or, better still, suggests proposals for its design - could have a decisive influence on the negotiations. (author's abstract

Combat drones - killing drones: a plea against flying Robots

Medium altitude, long endurance drones are becoming a component of regular air forces. However, the extent to which manned aircraft are being replaced by such "MALE UAVs" (MALE = Medium Altitude, Long Endurance, UAV = Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) remains unclear. At present Germany is faced with determining with what means the Luftwaffe should be equipped in the medium term (up to 2020) and long-term (post-2020). Beyond military considerations, there are cooperation and industrial policy issues to be taken into account, since no one individual state in Europe can or wants to provide the financial means to develop a national MALE UAV model. Although European industry has already launched research and development projects, their governments are by no means on board. Likewise it is also unclear whether drones are to be armed in future. Discussion has been continuing for some time as to how far targeted killings are responsible and permissible. In contrast, no fundamental debate has so far taken place about what the ethical consequences are of the trend towards automated combat. Such a debate is now overdue and urgent, as the momentum of technological development conceals the danger that human beings may abdicate moral responsibility in decisions over the use of force. (author's abstract

Identification of Epigenetic Modifications Following Treatment with Olanzapine

No chronic disease burdens the world more than psychiatric disorders (Collins et al., 2011), with an estimated 40% of the population in 30 European countries affected in any given year (Insel et al., 2012). Current medical treatment for schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BPD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) is based upon well-established antipsychotic drugs and mood stabilizers. Treatment efficacy (30-40%) (P. Lowe et al., 2017) and potentially serious side effects (Leucht et al., 2013) often challenge medication compliance, adding an additional challenge in the path towards wellness. New drugs are required to address the burden of psychotic disorders, and yet a new science is required to address the interplay between the heterogeneous nature of psychotic disorders and drug mechanisms. Epigenetic mechanisms, particularly alterations of methylation patterns at CpG sites have been shown to alter gene expression in humans, animal models and in vitro cell cultures. It is believed that epigenetic modifications induced by antipsychotic drugs plays a role in therapeutic response. Identification of pathways implicated by epigenetically modified genes, including the dopaminergic pathway, for example, has enhanced our understanding of the therapeutic mechanism of the antipsychotic drug olanzapine (Melka et al., 2013). In the current study, we aimed to identify differentially methylated regions induced by olanzapine. 82 European patients adhering to monotherapy were selected through the TOP Cohort (Thematically Organised Psychosis). Methylation data derived from blood samples was assessed genome-wide using the Illumina 850K EPIC array. The statistical model was corrected for gender and smoking. Following identification of differentially methylated positions (DMPs) in patient blood, we exposed a cultured cell line (HepG2) to verify the modifying effect of olanzapine on DNA methylation levels. The results of our study provide evidence of differentially methylated positions and regions in the blood of patients adhering to olanzapine monotherapy. A comparison of models adjusting for cell type composition provided evidence of improved p-values when cell type adjustment was included in the model. This finding was in concordance with state-of-the-art epigenome-wide-association (EWA) studies. Our results showed concordance between blood and brain for two identified differentially methylated regions, including the Trio and F-actin binding protein (TRIOBP) shown to be relevant in schizophrenia (Nicholas J. Bradshaw et al., 2014). The pathways implicated by the differentially methylated genes showed evidence of alterations in immune pathways and the possible mediating effect of olanzapine.Masteroppgave i molekylærbiologiMAMN-MOLMOL39

South Africa's "Rainbow People", national pride and happiness

Since the first free elections were held in April 1994, South Africans are popularly known as the ''rainbow people''. The paper inquires whether South Africans who experienced pride in their nation in the first years of democracy also perceived a greater sense of subjective well-being. It is proposed that national pride in post-apartheid South Africa might be fused with or work through self-esteem to lift levels of happiness. The paper traces the history of the new integrating civil religion of the rainbow people and the acceptance of the rainbow as a political symbol of unity among the diverse people of South Africa immediately after the 1994 elections and two years later. The proposed link between national pride and happiness was explored with data from two independent national surveys, the 1995 South African World Values Survey conducted by Markinor and a June 1996 MarkData syndicated omnibus survey. The study found that the appeal of the rainbow as political symbol was inclusive of all groups in society and that feelings of national pride and support for the rainbow ideal were positively associated with subjective well-being. As indicated by intensity and frequency measures, the majority of South Africans were proud of their country and could name a national achievement that inspired pride. Better-off South Africans tended to be happier and more satisfied with life but less proud, while the poor were less happy but fiercely proud of their country. Results suggest that belief in South Africa’s ''rainbow nation'' ideal may have assisted in boosting happiness during the transition to a stable democracy, thereby preventing alienation among the losers under the new political dispensation. Supporters of the ideal of the rainbow nation were more optimistic than others about the future of their country