Pluralizing the Costeños—Reflections on Michael Schroeder’s cultural geographies of grievance and war: Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast region in the first Sandinista revolution, 1927–1934

In this response article to Michael Schroeder's contribution "Cultural Geographies of Grievance and War: Nicaragua's Atlantic Coast Region in the First Sandinista Revolution, 1927–1934", the author argues that Sandino's limited success in the region was not mainly the result of an erroneous view of the local situation. His main difficulty was the absence of a coherent Atlantic Coast society and culture. In view of the mosaic of heterogeneous groups involved in long-standing rivalries or recent conflicts immersed in the racist environment of the enclave economy, a political project that could have integrated all major population groups was impossible. Sandinista propaganda did not merely consist of lofty nationalist and spiritualist jargon. There were also efforts to address the concrete problems of the people on the Atlantic Coast, such as economic depression and unemployment, and the Moravian missionaries’ attempt to enforce strict sexual morals in indigenous and Creole settlements.     

Financial and Psychological Risk Attitudes Associated with Two Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Nicotine Receptor (CHRNA4) Gene

With recent advances in understanding of the neuroscience of risk taking, attention is now turning to genetic factors that may contribute to individual heterogeneity in risk attitudes. In this paper we test for genetic associations with risk attitude measures derived from both the psychology and economics literature. To develop a long-term prospective study, we first evaluate both types of risk attitudes and find that the economic and psychological measures are poorly correlated, suggesting that different genetic factors may underlie human response to risk faced in different behavioral domains. We then examine polymorphisms in a spectrum of candidate genes that affect neurotransmitter systems influencing dopamine regulation or are thought to be associated with risk attitudes or impulsive disorders. Analysis of the genotyping data identified two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene encoding the alpha 4 nicotine receptor (CHRNA4, rs4603829 and rs4522666) that are significantly associated with harm avoidance, a risk attitude measurement drawn from the psychology literature. Novelty seeking, another risk attitude measure from the psychology literature, is associated with several COMT (catechol-O-methyl transferase) SNPs while economic risk attitude measures are associated with several VMAT2 (vesicular monoamine transporter) SNPs, but the significance of these associations did not withstand statistical adjustment for multiple testing and requires larger cohorts. These exploratory results provide a starting point for understanding the genetic basis of risk attitudes by considering the range of methods available for measuring risk attitudes and by searching beyond the traditional direct focus on dopamine and serotonin receptor and transporter genes.     

Actions of head activator and head inhibitor during regeneration in hydra

Abstract. Head regeneration in hydra is initiated by an extensive release of head inhibitor and head activator from tissue close to the cut surface. Release of both substances is less extensive after removal of the foot. Incubation of regenerating animals in medium with head inhibitor blocks not only regeneration of a new head but also release of head activator and head inhibitor. No effect was found of the head activator on the release of both substances. Release of head-specific substances is thus controlled by the inhibitor alone. Cellular determination in a head-specific direction and the production of new sources for head factors requires head activator.