The Complex Interrelations of Home, Body, Identity and Otherness in Tony Kushner’s Homebody/Kabul

Juxtaposing two terms, at once separated by and connected through a slash, the title of Tony Kushner‟s play Homebody/Kabul (2001) raises questions about the constitution of identity and its relation to place. The play suggests the home and the body, evoked by the title‟s first term, to act as safeguards for a stable and unified identity in privileged regions while the homes and bodies of other places are continually exposed to the threat of violence. Systemic and symbolic violence (Žižek) are revealed to enforce totalizing boundaries (Bhaba) projecting a homogeneous Other that serves as an object to be conquered. At the same time this homogeneous Other is a precondition for the projection of a stable and unified hegemonic self. In the final analysis, however, the play shows how any project of a stable and unified self is radically undermined by the heterogeneity and the unappropriable alterity of the Other.Yuxtaponiendo dos términos, a la vez separados y conectados por una barra, el título de la obra Homebody/Kabul (2001), de Tony Kushner, plantea preguntas sobre la constitución de la identidad y su relación con el lugar. La obra sugiere que el hogar y el cuerpo, evocados por el primer término del título, actúan como salvaguardia de una identidad estable y coherente en regiones privilegiadas mientras que los hogares y cuerpos de otros lugares están continuamente expuestos a la amenaza de la violencia. La obra demuestra como la violencia sistémica y la simbólica (Žižek) imponen fronteras totalizantes (Bhaba), proyectando un Otro homogéneo que sirve como objeto a conquistar. Al mismo tiempo ese Otro homogéneo es una precondición para la proyección de un yo hegemónico estable y coherente. Sin embargo, la obra demuestra como cualquier proyecto de un yo estable y coherente se ve socavado por la heterogeneidad y la alteridad inapropriable del Otro

Årstidsvariasjon av innleggelser med mani ved Psykisk helse- og rusklinikken, UNN HF

Sammendrag Innledning: Mani er en stemningslidelse med stort spekter av symptomer. Mani kan man finne hos pasienter både som en enkeltstående episode, og som ledd i en bipolar lidelse. Sesongbasert mani er forsket lite på nord for ekvator. Det finnes flest studier fra den sørlige halvkule. Formålet med denne oppgaven er å undersøke årstidsvariasjon avhengig av lysforhold (mørketid og midnattssol) av innleggelser med mani ved Psykisk helse- og rusklinikken UNN HF, i perioden 01.01.06-31.12.20, samt forskjeller i årstidsvariasjon mellom kvinner og menn. Materiale og metode: Studien er en kvantitativ retrospektiv case register studie med 1410 innleggelser fordelt på 433 pasienter. Data er innhentet fra DIPS, analyser med kji-kvadrattesting er gjennomført i SPSS. Resultat: Det var 1410 innleggelser i inklusjonsperioden. Flertallet av innleggelsene, 64,5 %, var for kvinner. Det ble ikke påvist signifikante tall ut fra årstid, men ved analyse av alle konsultasjoner samlet var kjønnsforskjellen signifikant, med flere konsultasjoner for kvinner enn for menn i løpet av mørketid og om våren. De fleste innleggelsene hadde diagnose Mani som ledd i bipolar affektiv lidelse (F31). 15 % hadde Manisk episode (F30). Det var ingen årstidsforskjell på innleggelsene mellom F30 og F31. Det var flere innleggelser av menn med diagnose F30, og flere innleggelser av kvinner med diagnose F31. Forskjellen var signifikant. Konklusjon: Det ble ikke funnet klare forskjeller mellom innleggelser med mani fordelt på fire årsperioder. Man ser likevel tendenser til flere innleggelser på de mørke tidene av året, og færrest under midnattssol. For innleggelser ble det ikke funnet noen kjønnsforskjell for årstidsvariasjon, men forskjellen kom når innleggelser og konsultasjoner sees samlet. Kvinner har færrest konsultasjoner under midnattssol og flest under mørketid og vår, menn har flest om høsten og under mørketid, og færrest under vår og midnattssol. Oppgaven har en del svakheter som gjør at det er vanskelig å si om mine funn er tilfeldige eller ikke. Nøkkelord: Innleggelser, mani, bipolar lidelse, årstidsvariasjon, mørketid og midnattssol

Regulation of the Spontaneous Augmentation of NaV1.9 in Mouse Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons: Effect of PKA and PKC Pathways

Sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglion express two kinds of tetrodotoxin resistant (TTX-R) isoforms of voltage-gated sodium channels, NaV1.8 and NaV1.9. These isoforms play key roles in the pathophysiology of chronic pain. Of special interest is NaV1.9: our previous studies revealed a unique property of the NaV1.9 current, i.e., the NaV1.9 current shows a gradual and notable up-regulation of the peak amplitude during recording (“spontaneous augmentation of NaV1.9”). However, the mechanism underlying the spontaneous augmentation of NaV1.9 is still unclear. In this study, we examined the effects of protein kinases A and C (PKA and PKC), on the spontaneous augmentation of NaV1.9. The spontaneous augmentation of the NaV1.9 current was significantly suppressed by activation of PKA, whereas activation of PKA did not affect the voltage dependence of inactivation for the NaV1.9 current. On the contrary, the finding that activation of PKC can affect the voltage dependence of inactivation for NaV1.9 in the perforated patch recordings, where the augmentation does not occur, suggests that the effects of PMA are independent of the augmentation process. These results indicate that the spontaneous augmentation of NaV1.9 was regulated directly by PKA, and indirectly by PKC

Life history characteristics of a potential invasive Ponto-Caspian goby, Neogobius fluviatilis in natural lakes from its native range (Black Sea region of Turkey)

To fill the gap in and provide baseline knowledge for developing increased understandings of the factors driving the invasiveness of the Ponto-Caspian gobiid Neogobius fluviatilis, their life history traits (as somatic growth and reproduction) were studied in three natural freshwater lakes in its native range. These populations were characterised by slow somatic growth rates, being the slowest reported across all of their native and non-native ranges. Ages were recorded to seven years old. Across the three lakes, there was considerable variability in their sex ratios and reproductive traits (including length at maturity and fecundity at length and age), revealing considerable inter-population variability. These data thus suggest N. fluviatilis has considerable plasticity in the expression of their life history traits, with this plasticity argued as a key factor in facilitating their ability to establish and invade new waters following introductions

Persistently modified h-channels after complex febrile seizures convert the seizure-induced enhancement of inhibition to hyperexcitability.

Febrile seizures are the most common type of developmental seizures, affecting up to 5% of children. Experimental complex febrile seizures involving the immature rat hippocampus led to a persistent lowering of seizure threshold despite an upregulation of inhibition. Here we provide a mechanistic resolution to this paradox by showing that, in the hippocampus of rats that had febrile seizures, the long-lasting enhancement of the widely expressed intrinsic membrane conductance Ih converts the potentiated synaptic inhibition to hyperexcitability in a frequency-dependent manner. The altered gain of this molecular inhibition-excitation converter reveals a new mechanism for controlling the balance of excitation-inhibition in the limbic system. In addition, here we show for the first time that h-channels are modified in a human neurological disease paradigm

Maternal Behavior is Impaired in Female Mice Lacking Type 3 Adenylyl Cyclase

Although chemosensory signals generated by mouse pups may trigger maternal behavior of females, the mechanism for detection of these signals has not been fully defined. As some odorant receptors are coupled to the type 3 adenylyl cyclase (AC3), we evaluated the role of AC3 for maternal behavior using AC3−/− female mice. Here, we report that maternal behavior is impaired in virgin and postpartum AC3−/− mice. Female AC3−/− mice failed the pup retrieval assay, did not construct well-defined nests, and did not exhibit maternal aggression. Furthermore, AC3−/− females could not detect odorants or pup urine in the odorant habituation test and were unable to detect pups by chemoreception. In contrast to wild-type mice, AC activity in main olfactory epithelium (MOE) preparations from AC3−/− female mice was not stimulated by odorants or pheromones. Moreover, odorants and pheromones did not evoke electro-olfactogram (EOG) responses in the MOE of AC3−/− female mice. We hypothesize that the detection of chemical signals that trigger maternal behavior in female mice depends upon AC3 in the MOE

Post-translational modifications of voltage-gated sodium channels in chronic pain syndromes.

In the peripheral sensory nervous system the neuronal expression of voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) is very important for the transmission of nociceptive information since they give rise to the upstroke of the action potential (AP). Navs are composed of nine different isoforms with distinct biophysical properties. Studying the mutations associated with the increase or absence of pain sensitivity in humans, as well as other expression studies, have highlighted Nav1.7, Nav1.8, and Nav1.9 as being the most important contributors to the control of nociceptive neuronal electrogenesis. Modulating their expression and/or function can impact the shape of the AP and consequently modify nociceptive transmission, a process that is observed in persistent pain conditions. Post-translational modification (PTM) of Navs is a well-known process that modifies their expression and function. In chronic pain syndromes, the release of inflammatory molecules into the direct environment of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) sensory neurons leads to an abnormal activation of enzymes that induce Navs PTM. The addition of small molecules, i.e., peptides, phosphoryl groups, ubiquitin moieties and/or carbohydrates, can modify the function of Navs in two different ways: via direct physical interference with Nav gating, or via the control of Nav trafficking. Both mechanisms have a profound impact on neuronal excitability. In this review we will discuss the role of Protein Kinase A, B, and C, Mitogen Activated Protein Kinases and Ca++/Calmodulin-dependent Kinase II in peripheral chronic pain syndromes. We will also discuss more recent findings that the ubiquitination of Nav1.7 by Nedd4-2 and the effect of methylglyoxal on Nav1.8 are also implicated in the development of experimental neuropathic pain. We will address the potential roles of other PTMs in chronic pain and highlight the need for further investigation of PTMs of Navs in order to develop new pharmacological tools to alleviate pain