The Intersection of Economics and Politics in a Small OPEC Country: the Case of Ecuador, 1990 - March 2014

Today, crude oil remains a vital resource all around the world. This non-renewable resource powers countries worldwide. Besides serving as an energy source, crude oil is also the most important component for different world economies, especially in developing countries. Ecuador, a small member of the OPEC oil cartel, presents a case where its economy is oil dependent. A great percentage of the country¿s GDP and government¿s budget comes from oil revenues. Ecuador has always been a primary exporter of raw materials. In the last centuries, the country experienced three important economic booms: cacao, bananas, and, ultimately, crude oil. In this sense, the country has not been able to fully industrialize and begin to export manufactured goods, i.e., Ecuador suffers from the Dutch disease. The latter has deterred Ecuador from achieving broad-based economic development. Given crude oil¿s importance for the Ecuadorian economy, the government has always tried to influence the oil industry in search of profits and benefits. Therefore, this thesis, explores the question: how and to what extent have political interventions affected the oil industry in Ecuador from 1990 until March 2014? In general, this thesis establishes an economic history context during the last twenty-four years, attempting to research how political interventions have shaped Ecuador¿s oil industry and economy. In the analysis, it covers a period where political instability prevailed, until Rafael Correa became president. The thesis examines Ecuador¿s participation in OPEC, trying to find explanations as to why the country voluntarily left the organization in 1992, only to rejoin in 2007 when Correa rose to power. During the ¿Revolución Ciudadana¿ period, the thesis researches reforms to the Law of Hydrocarbons, variations in the relations with other nations, the controversy surrounding the Yasuní-ITT oil block, and the ¿Refinería del Pacífico¿ construction. The thesis is an Industrial Organization detailed case study that analyzes, updates, and evaluates the intersection of economics and politics in Ecuador¿s crude oil industry during the last 24 years. In this sense I have consulted past theses, newspaper articles, books, and other published data about the petroleum industry, both from a global and Ecuadorian perspective. In addition to published sources, I was able to interview sociologists, public figures, history and economics academics, and other experts, accessing unique unpublished data about Ecuador¿s oil industry. I made an effort to collect information that shows the private and public side of the industry, i.e., from government-related and independent sources. I attempted to remain as objective as possible to make conclusions about the appropriate Industrial Organization policy for Ecuador¿s oil industry, addressing the issue from an economic, social, political, and environmental point of view. I found how Ecuador¿s political instability caused public policy to fail, molding the conduct and market structure of the crude oil industry. Throughout history, developed nations have benefited from low oil prices, but things shifted since oil prices began to rise, which is more beneficial for the developing nations that actually possess and produce the raw material. Nevertheless, Ecuador, a victim of the Dutch disease due to its heavy reliance on crude oil as a primary product, has not achieved broad-based development.

Erupted magma volume estimates at Santiaguito and Pacaya Volcanoes, Guatemala using digital elevation models

High resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) of Santiaguito and Pacaya volcanoes, Guatemala, were used to estimate volume changes and eruption rates between 1954 and 2001. The DEMs were generated from contour maps and aerial photography, which were analyzed in ArcGIS 9.0®. Because both volcanoes were growing substantially over the five decade period, they provide a good data set for exploring effective methodology for estimating volume changes. The analysis shows that the Santiaguito dome complex grew by 0.78 ± 0.07 km3 (0.52 ± 0.05 m3 s-1) over the 1954-2001 period with nearly all the growth occurring on the El Brujo (1958-75) and Caliente domes (1971-2001). Adding information from field data prior to 1954, the total volume extruded from Santiaguito since 1922 is estimated at 1.48 ± 0.19 km3. Santiaguito’s growth rate is lower than most other volcanic domes, but it has been sustained over a much longer period and has undergone a change toward more exogenous and progressively slower extrusion with time. At Santiaguito some of the material being added at the dome is subsequently transported downstream by block and ash flows, mudflows and floods, creating channel shifting and areas of aggradation and erosion. At Pacaya volcano a total volume of 0.21 ± 0.05 km3 was erupted between 1961 and 2001 for an average extrusion rate of 0.17 ± 0.04 m3 s-1. Both the Santiaguito and Pacaya eruption rate estimates reported here are minima, because they do not include estimates of materials which are transported downslope after eruption and data on ashfall which may result in significant volumes of material spread over broad areas. Regular analysis of high resolution DEMs using the methods outlined here, would help quantify the effects of fluvial changes to downstream populated areas, as well as assist in tracking hazards related to dome collapse and eruption.

Molecular genetics and functional anomalies in a series of 248 Brugada cases with 11 mutations in the TRPM4 channel.

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a condition defined by ST-segment alteration in right precordial leads and a risk of sudden death. Because BrS is often associated with right bundle branch block and the TRPM4 gene is involved in conduction blocks, we screened TRPM4 for anomalies in BrS cases. The DNA of 248 BrS cases with no SCN5A mutations were screened for TRPM4 mutations. Among this cohort, 20 patients had 11 TRPM4 mutations. Two mutations were previously associated with cardiac conduction blocks and 9 were new mutations (5 absent from ~14'000 control alleles and 4 statistically more prevalent in this BrS cohort than in control alleles). In addition to Brugada, three patients had a bifascicular block and 2 had a complete right bundle branch block. Functional and biochemical studies of 4 selected mutants revealed that these mutations resulted in either a decreased expression (p.Pro779Arg and p.Lys914X) or an increased expression (p.Thr873Ile and p.Leu1075Pro) of TRPM4 channel. TRPM4 mutations account for about 6% of BrS. Consequences of these mutations are diverse on channel electrophysiological and cellular expression. Because of its effect on the resting membrane potential, reduction or increase of TRPM4 channel function may both reduce the availability of sodium channel and thus lead to BrS.

Next-generation tissue microarray (ngTMA) increases the quality of biomarker studies: an example using CD3, CD8, and CD45RO in the tumor microenvironment of six different solid tumor types

Background Tissue microarray (TMA) technology revolutionized the investigation of potential biomarkers from paraffin-embedded tissues. However, conventional TMA construction is laborious, time-consuming and imprecise. Next-generation tissue microarrays (ngTMA) combine histological expertise with digital pathology and automated tissue microarraying. The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of ngTMA for the investigation of biomarkers within the tumor microenvironment (tumor center and invasion front) of six tumor types, using CD3, CD8 and CD45RO as an example. Methods Ten cases each of malignant melanoma, lung, breast, gastric, prostate and colorectal cancers were reviewed. The most representative H&E slide was scanned and uploaded onto a digital slide management platform. Slides were viewed and seven TMA annotations of 1 mm in diameter were placed directly onto the digital slide. Different colors were used to identify the exact regions in normal tissue (n = 1), tumor center (n = 2), tumor front (n = 2), and tumor microenvironment at invasion front (n = 2) for subsequent punching. Donor blocks were loaded into an automated tissue microarrayer. Images of the donor block were superimposed with annotated digital slides. Exact annotated regions were punched out of each donor block and transferred into a TMA block. 420 tissue cores created two ngTMA blocks. H&E staining and immunohistochemistry for CD3, CD8 and CD45RO were performed. Results All 60 slides were scanned automatically (total time < 10 hours), uploaded and viewed. Annotation time was 1 hour. The 60 donor blocks were loaded into the tissue microarrayer, simultaneously. Alignment of donor block images and digital slides was possible in less than 2 minutes/case. Automated punching of tissue cores and transfer took 12 seconds/core. Total ngTMA construction time was 1.4 hours. Stains for H&E and CD3, CD8 and CD45RO highlighted the precision with which ngTMA could capture regions of tumor-stroma interaction of each cancer and the T-lymphocytic immune reaction within the tumor microenvironment. Conclusion Based on a manual selection criteria, ngTMA is able to precisely capture histological zones or cell types of interest in a precise and accurate way, aiding the pathological study of the tumor microenvironment. This approach would be advantageous for visualizing proteins, DNA, mRNA and microRNAs in specific cell types using in situ hybridization techniques.

Synthesis and triplex forming properties of pyrrolidino pseudoisocytidine containing oligodeoxynucleotides

Pyrrolidino pseudo-C-nucleosides are isosteres of natural deoxynucleosides which are protonated at the pyrrolidino ring nitrogen under physiological conditions. As constituents of a triplex forming oligodeoxynucleotide (TFO), the positive charge is expected to stabilise DNA triple helices via electrostatic interactions with the phosphodiester backbone of the target DNA. We describe the synthesis of the pyrrolidino isocytidine pseudonucleoside and the corresponding phosphoramidite building block and its incorporation into TFOs. Such TFOs show substantially increased DNA affinity compared to unmodified oligodeoxynucleotides. The increase in affinity is shown to be due to the positive charge at the pyrrolidino subunit

Transvenous demand Pacemaker Treatment for intermittent complete Heart Block in a Cat

A 13-year-old male neutered domestic shorthaired cat had repeated syncopal episodes over a 6 month period, which had variable duration and continued to increase in frequency. Intermittent ventricular asystole, due to complete heart block, and hyperthyroidism were documented. As the syncopal episodes did not respond to a 4-week medical treatment and symptoms became severe, a transvenous ventricular demand pacemaker system (VVIM) was implanted via the external jugular vein. The unipolar lead was tunneled subcutaneously and connected with the generator in a preformed ventral abdominal muscle pocket. During follow up of 18-months there were no recurrences of the syncopal episodes.

Diagnosing synaesthesia with online colour pickers: Maximising sensitivity and specificity

The most commonly used method for formally assessing grapheme-colour synaesthesia (i.e., experiencing colours in response to letter and/or number stimuli) involves selecting colours from a large colour palette on several occasions and measuring consistency of the colours selected. However, the ability to diagnose synaesthesia using this method depends on several factors that have not been directly contrasted. These include the type of colour space used (e.g., RGB, HSV, CIELUV, CIELAB) and different measures of consistency (e.g., city block and Euclidean distance in colour space). This study aims to find the most reliable way of diagnosing grapheme-colour synaesthesia based on maximising sensitivity (i.e., ability of a test to identify true synaesthetes) and specificity (i.e., ability of a test to identify true non-synaesthetes). We show, applying ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristics) to binary classification of a large sample of self-declared synaesthetes and non-synaesthetes, that the consistency criterion (i.e., cut-off value) for diagnosing synaesthesia is considerably higher than the current standard in the field. We also show that methods based on perceptual CIELUV and CIELAB colour models (rather than RGB and HSV colour representations) and Euclidean distances offer an even greater sensitivity and specificity than most currently used measures. Together, these findings offer improved heuristics for the behavioural assessment of grapheme-colour synaesthesia.

Neptunian dikes and their fillings in carbonates of the Warstein area (northeastern Rhenish massif)

Neptunian dikes and cavities as weil as their fillings are described from Middle to Upper Devonian carbonates of the Warstein area. The genesis of the pre-Upper Carboniferous dikes is due to pre-orogenic synsedimentary tensional movements. Lifting, subsidence and tilting caused joints and cracks, which are enlarged to dikes and cavities on submarine conditions. The post-Upper Carboniferous dikes are based on the orogenesis during Upper Carboniferous time, causing numerous tectonical divisional planes in the sediments. Along these planes a far-reaching karstification took place since mesozoic time. According to their size the cavities are subdivided into macro-, mega- and microdikes. With the exception of one macrodike all the others are limited to the massive limestone. Megadikes especially occur in Upper Devonian cephalopod limestone and in the Erdbach limestone, microdikes can be found in all carbonatic rocks. The dikes follow pre-orogenic, tectonical and sedimentary divisional planes and are orientated to ac-, bc- as well as bedding planes and diagonal directions. The fillings happened down from above either in a solitary event or repeatedly in long-lived dikes during a span of several ten millions of years. More seldom the fillings took place laterally or upside from beneath. The dikes contain - without regard to autochthonous conodont faunas - older and/or younger mixed faunas, too. Occasionally they were used as life district by a trilobite fauna adapted to the dikes. The dikes represent sedimentary pitfalls and conserve sediments eroded in other places. Therefore, by aid of the fillings, it can be demonstrated, that stratigraphic gaps are not absolutely due to primary interruptions of sedimentation, but were caused by reworking. Some dikes contain the distal offsets of slides and suspension streams. Relations between condensation and development of dikes could not be derived in the Warstein area. However, an increase of the frequency of dikes towards east to the eastern margin of the Warstein carbonate platform could be pointed out. This margin is a slope, persisting more than 10 millions of years, between a block and a basin. Evidently cracks and dikes, which were caused by settlements, slides and earth quakes, occured there frequently. The Warstein dikes and cavities, caused by karstification, are filled with terrestrial Lower Cretaceous, marine Upper Cretaceous and terrestrial Pleistocene to Holocene sediments. Tertiary sediments could not be detected.

Design and modeling of the multi-agent robotic system: SMART

This article presents the design, kinematic model and communication architecture for the multi-agent robotic system called SMART. The philosophy behind this kind of system requires the communication architecture to contemplate the concurrence of the whole system. The proposed architecture combines different communication technologies (TCP/IP and Bluetooth) under one protocol designed for the cooperation among agents and other elements of the system such as IP-Cameras, image processing library, path planner, user Interface, control block and data block. The high level control is modeled by Work-Flow Petri nets and implemented in C++ and C♯♯. Experimental results show the performance of the designed architecture.

Permeant ion regulation of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor channel block by Mg2+

Block of the channel of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors by external Mg2+ (Mgo2+) has broad implications for the many physiological and pathological processes that depend on NMDA receptor activation. An essential property of channel block by Mgo2+ is its powerful voltage dependence. A widely cited explanation for the strength of the voltage dependence of block is that the Mgo2+-binding site is located deep in the channel of NMDA receptors; Mgo2+ then would sense most of the membrane potential field during block. However, recent electrophysiological and mutagenesis studies suggest that the blocking site cannot be deep enough to account for the voltage dependence of Mgo2+ block. Here we describe the basis for this discrepancy: the magnitude and voltage dependence of channel block by Mgo2+ are strongly regulated by external and internal permeant monovalent cations. Our data support a model in which access to the channel by Mgo2+ is prevented when permeant ion-binding sites at the external entrance to the channel are occupied. Mgo2+ can block the channel only when the permeant ion-binding sites are unoccupied and then can either unblock back to the external solution or permeate the channel. Unblock to the external solution is prevented if external permeant ions bind while Mg2+ blocks the channel, although permeation is still permitted. The model provides an explanation for the strength of the voltage dependence of Mgo2+ block and quantifies the interdependence of permanent and blocking ion binding to NMDA receptors.

Triassic redbeds in the Malaguide Complex (Betic Cordillera — Spain): petrography, geochemistry and geodynamic implications

Sandstone petrography and mudstone mineralogy and geochemistry of Triassic mudstones and sandstones from continental redbeds of the Malaguide Complex (Betic Cordillera, southern Spain) provide useful information on provenance, palaeoclimate and geodynamics during the early stages of the Pangea break-up, and on their diagenetic evolution. The sandstones are quartzarenites to sub-litharenites, with minor lithic fragments and rare feldspars. The mudstone samples show a PAAS like elemental distribution. The samples likely record recycling processes from their metasedimentary basement rocks that significantly affected the weathering indices, and monitors cumulative effects, including a first cycle of weathering at the source rocks. Sandstone composition and chemical–mineralogical features of mudstones record a provenance derived from continental block and recycled orogen that were weathered under warm and episodically wet climate. Source areas were located towards the east of the present-day Malaguide outcrops, and were formed by fairly silicic rock types, made up mainly of Palaezoic metasedimentary rocks, similar to those of the Paleozoic underlying series, with subordinate contributions from magmatic–metamorphic sources, and a rare supply from mafic metavolcanic rocks. Clay-mineral distribution of mudstones is dominated by illite and illite/smectite mixed-layer that result from differences in provenance, weathering, and burial/temperature history. Illite crystallinity values, illitization of kaolinite, occurrence of typical authigenic minerals and apatite fission-track studies, coupled with a subsidence analysis of the whole Malaguide succession suggest burial depths of at least 4–6 km with temperatures of 140–160 °C, typical of the burial diagenetic stage, and confirm the Middle Miocene exhumation of the Betic Internal Domain tectonic stack topped by the Malaguide Complex.

Compositional and Geochemical Signatures for the Sedimentary Evolution of the Middle Triassic–Lower Jurassic Continental Redbeds from Western-Central Mediterranean Alpine Chains

Compositional and chemical analyses suggest that Middle Triassic–Lower Liassic continental redbeds (in the internal domains of the Betic, Maghrebian, and Apenninic chains) can be considered a regional lithosome marking the Triassic-Jurassic rift-valley stage of Tethyan rifting, which led to the Pangaea breakup and subsequent development of a mosaic of plates and microplates. Sandstones are quartzose to quartzolithic and represent a provenance of continental block and recycled orogen, made up mainly of Paleozoic metasedimentary rocks similar to those underlying the redbeds. Mudrocks display K enrichments; intense paleoweathering under a hot, episodically humid climate with a prolonged dry season; and sediment recycling. Redbeds experienced temperatures in the range of 100°–160°C and lithostatic/tectonic loading of more than 4 km. These redbeds represent an important stratigraphic signature to reconstruct a continental block (Mesomediterranean Microplate) that separated different realms of the western Tethys from Middle-Late Jurassic to Miocene, when it was completely involved in Alpine orogenesis.

New Orleans, Louisiana Census tracks and blocks, 1960 (Image 2 of 2) (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: New Orleans, Louisiana, by census tracts and blocks: 1960. It was published by The Census Bureau ca. 1960. Scale [ca. 1:17,500]. This layer is image 2 of 2 total images of the two sheet source map. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the Louisiana State Plane Coordinate System, South NAD83 (in Feet) (Fipszone 1702). All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as Census block and tract numbers and boundaries, roads, canals, drainage, and more. Includes inset and legend. This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from The Harvard Map Collection as part of the Imaging the Urban Environment project. Maps selected for this project represent major urban areas and cities of the world, at various time periods. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features at a large scale. The selection represents a range of regions, originators, ground condition dates, scales, and purposes.

New Orleans, Louisiana Census tracks and blocks, 1960 (Image 1 of 2) (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: New Orleans, Louisiana, by census tracts and blocks: 1960. It was published by The Census Bureau ca. 1960. Scale [ca. 1:17,500]. This layer is image 1 of 2 total images of the two sheet source map. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the Louisiana State Plane Coordinate System, South NAD83 (in Feet) (Fipszone 1702). All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows features such as Census block and tract numbers and boundaries, roads, canals, drainage, and more. Includes inset and legend. This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps from The Harvard Map Collection as part of the Imaging the Urban Environment project. Maps selected for this project represent major urban areas and cities of the world, at various time periods. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features at a large scale. The selection represents a range of regions, originators, ground condition dates, scales, and purposes.

Effects of thallus disturbance on abundance and biomass of soft-bottom species in Kongsfjorden in summer 2013

The effects of biotic disturbances, like seaweed whiplash, on the diversity of benthic communities are well documented for temperate coastal systems, yet missing for Arctic benthos. In Arctic soft-bottom habitats, kelp thalli occur either continuously (e.g. trapped by sediment) or sporadically (by drifting on the sediment) after detachment from rocky shores. To explore whether a kelp thallus can disturb the structure and diversity of a coastal Arctic soft-bottom assemblage, we continuously fixed a single thallus of the kelp Saccharina latissima to or sporadically (i.e. biweekly) moved it on the sediment and compared treatment effects to unmanipulated plots (= controls). On 6 September 2013 (i.e. after 73 days of manipulation), one sediment core was taken from each of the 30 plots (n = 10), from which the number of individuals of each of the 45 encountered animal species were recorded. The continuous presence of an experimentally fixed kelp thallus significantly reduced the number of individuals on average by 27 %. This disturbance effect was even stronger, on average 49 %, where a kelp thallus was biweekly moved on the sediment. Likewise, taxon richness was lowered by an average of 19 and 36 % where a S. latissima thallus was continuously or sporadically present, respectively. While the composition of taxa was also significantly different among all treatment groups, evenness and biomass were unaffected by kelp treatments. We conclude that the presence and already movements of a single kelp thallus can promote small scale patchiness in near-shore soft-bottom assemblage structure and diversity and exemplify a significant connection between rocky and sedimentary coastal habitats.