The Revenge of the Market on the Rentiers: Why neo-liberal reports of the end of history turned out to be premature

Starting from the perspective of heterodox Keynesian-Minskyian-Kindlebergian financial economics, this paper begins by highlighting a number of mechanisms that contributed to the current financial crisis. These include excess liquidity, income polarisation, conflicts between financial and productive capital, lack of intelligent regulation, asymmetric information, principal-agent dilemmas and bounded rationalities. However, the paper then proceeds to argue that perhaps more than ever the ‘macroeconomics’ that led to this crisis only makes analytical sense if examined within the framework of the political settlements and distributional outcomes in which it had operated. Taking the perspective of critical social theories the paper concludes that, ultimately, the current financial crisis is the outcome of something much more systemic, namely an attempt to use neo-liberalism (or, in US terms, neo-conservatism) as a new technology of power to help transform capitalism into a rentiers’ delight. And in particular, into a system without much ‘compulsion’ on big business; i.e., one that imposes only minimal pressures on big agents to engage in competitive struggles in the real economy (while inflicting exactly the opposite fate on workers and small firms). A key component in the effectiveness of this new technology of power was its ability to transform the state into a major facilitator of the ever-increasing rent-seeking practices of oligopolistic capital. The architects of this experiment include some capitalist groups (in particular rentiers from the financial sector as well as capitalists from the ‘mature’ and most polluting industries of the preceding techno-economic paradigm), some political groups, as well as intellectual networks with their allies – including most economists and the ‘new’ left. Although rentiers did succeed in their attempt to get rid of practically all fetters on their greed, in the end the crisis materialised when ‘markets’ took their inevitable revenge on the rentiers by calling their (blatant) bluff

Varying efficacy of artesunate+amodiaquine and artesunate+sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a report of two in-vivo studies

BACKGROUND: Very few data on anti-malarial efficacy are available from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). DRC changed its anti-malarial treatment policy to amodiaquine (AQ) and artesunate (AS) in 2005. METHODS: The results of two in vivo efficacy studies, which tested AQ and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) monotherapies and AS+SP and AS+AQ combinations in Boende (Equatorial province), and AS+SP, AS+AQ and SP in Kabalo (Katanga province), between 2003 and 2004 are presented. The methodology followed the WHO 2003 protocol for assessing the efficacy of anti-malarials in areas of high transmission. RESULTS: Out of 394 included patients in Boende, the failure rates on day 28 after PCR-genotyping adjustment of AS+SP and AS+AQ were estimated as 24.6% [95% CI: 16.6-35.5] and 15.1% [95% CI: 8.6-25.7], respectively. For the monotherapies, failure rates were 35.9% [95% CI: 27.0-46.7] for SP and 18.3% [95% CI: 11.6-28.1] for AQ. Out of 207 patients enrolled in Kabalo, the failure rate on day 28 after PCR-genotyping adjustment was 0 [1-sided 95% CI: 5.8] for AS+SP and AS+AQ [1-sided 95% CI: 6.2]. It was 19.6% [95% CI: 11.4-32.7] for SP monotherapy. CONCLUSION: The finding of varying efficacy of the same combinations at two sites in one country highlights one difficulty of implementing a uniform national treatment policy in a large country. The poor efficacy of AS+AQ in Boende should alert the national programme to foci of resistance and emphasizes the need for systems for the prospective monitoring of treatment efficacy at sentinel sites in the country

Complete experimental toolbox for alignment-free quantum communication

Quantum communication employs the counter-intuitive features of quantum physics to perform tasks that are im- possible in the classical world. It is crucial for testing the foundations of quantum theory and promises to rev- olutionize our information and communication technolo- gies. However, for two or more parties to execute even the simplest quantum transmission, they must establish, and maintain, a shared reference frame. This introduces a considerable overhead in communication resources, par- ticularly if the parties are in motion or rotating relative to each other. We experimentally demonstrate how to circumvent this problem with the efficient transmission of quantum information encoded in rotationally invariant states of single photons. By developing a complete toolbox for the efficient encoding and decoding of quantum infor- mation in such photonic qubits, we demonstrate the fea- sibility of alignment-free quantum key-distribution, and perform a proof-of-principle alignment-free entanglement distribution and violation of a Bell inequality. Our scheme should find applications in fundamental tests of quantum mechanics and satellite-based quantum communication.Comment: Main manuscript: 7 pages, 3 figures; Supplementary Information: 7 pages, 3 figure

Functional Inequality in Latin America: News from the Twentieth Century

We report on a novel approach for the measurement of gas adsorption in microporous solids using X-ray computed tomography (CT) that we refer to as digital adsorption. Similar to conventional macroscopic methods, the proposed protocol combines observations with an inert and an adsorbing gas to produce equilibrium isotherms in terms of the truly measurable quantity in an adsorption experiment, namely the surface excess. Most significantly, X-ray CT allows probing the adsorption process in three dimensions, so as to build spatially-resolved adsorption isotherms with a resolution of approximately 10 mm3 within a fixed-bed column. Experiments have been carried out at 25 C and in the pressure range 1-30bar using CO2 on activated carbon, zeolite 13X and glass beads (as control material), and results are validated against literature data. A scaling approach was applied to analyze the whole population of measured adsorption isotherms (~7600), leading to single universal adsorption isotherm curves that are descriptive of all voxels for a given adsorbate-adsorbent system. By analyzing the adsorption heterogeneity at multiple length scales (1 mm3 to 1 cm3), packing heterogeneity was identified as the main contributor for the larger spatial variability in the adsorbed amount observed for the activated carbon rods as compared to zeolite pellets. We also show that this technique is readily applicable to a large spectrum of commercial porous solids, and that it can be further extended to weakly adsorbing materials with appropriate protocols that reduce measurement uncertainties. As such, the obtained results prove the feasibility of digital adsorption and highlight substantial opportunities for its wider use in the field of adsorptive characterization of porous solids

Phytoplankton dynamics in relation to seasonal variability and upwelling and relaxation patterns at the mouth of Ria de Aveiro (West Iberian Margin) over a four-year period

From June 2004 to December 2007, samples were weekly collected at a fixed station located at the mouth of Ria de Aveiro (West Iberian Margin). We examined the seasonal and inter-annual fluctuations in composition and community structure of the phytoplankton in relation to the main environmental drivers and assessed the influence of the oceano-graphic regime, namely changes in frequency and intensity of upwelling events, over the dynamics of the phytoplankton assemblage. The samples were consistently handled and a final subset of 136 OTUs (taxa with relative abundance > 0.01%) was subsequently submitted to various multivariate analyses. The phytoplankton assemblage showed significant changes at all temporal scales but with an overriding importance of seasonality over longer-(inter-annual) or shorter-term fluctuations (upwelling-related). Sea-surface temperature, salinity and maximum upwelling index were retrieved as the main driver of seasonal change. Seasonal signal was most evident in the fluctuations of chlorophyll a concentration and in the high turnover from the winter to spring phytoplankton assemblage. The seasonal cycle of production and succession was disturbed by upwelling events known to disrupt thermal stratification and induce changes in the phytoplankton assemblage. Our results indicate that both the frequency and intensity of physical forcing were important drivers of such variability, but the outcome in terms of species composition was highly dependent on the available local pool of species and the timing of those events in relation to the seasonal cycle. We conclude that duration, frequency and intensity of upwelling events, which vary seasonally and inter-annually, are paramount for maintaining long-term phytoplankton diversity likely by allowing unstable coexistence and incorporating species turnover at different scales. Our results contribute to the understanding of the complex mechanisms of coastal phytoplankton dynamics in relation to changing physical forcing which is fundamental to improve predictability of future prospects under climate change.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) [SFRH/BPD/ 94562/2013]; FEDER funds; national funds; CESAM [UID/AMB/50017]; FCT/MEC through national funds; FEDERinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The value of metabolic imaging to predict tumour response after chemoradiation in locally advanced rectal cancer

Preliminary data of this work were presented by RCM and awarded at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Spanish Society of Coloproctology (AECP) held in Barcelona.Background: We aim to investigate the possibility of using 18F-positron emission tomography/computer tomography (PET-CT) to predict the histopathologic response in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) treated with preoperative chemoradiation (CRT). Methods: The study included 50 patients with LARC treated with preoperative CRT. All patients were evaluated by PET-CT before and after CRT, and results were compared to histopathologic response quantified by tumour regression grade (patients with TRG 1-2 being defined as responders and patients with grade 3-5 as non-responders). Furthermore, the predictive value of metabolic imaging for pathologic complete response (ypCR) was investigated. Results: Responders and non-responders showed statistically significant differences according to Mandard's criteria for maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) before and after CRT with a specificity of 76,6% and a positive predictive value of 66,7%. Furthermore, SUVmax values after CRT were able to differentiate patients with ypCR with a sensitivity of 63% and a specificity of 74,4% (positive predictive value 41,2% and negative predictive value 87,9%); This rather low sensitivity and specificity determined that PET-CT was only able to distinguish 7 cases of ypCR from a total of 11 patients. Conclusions: We conclude that 18-F PET-CT performed five to seven weeks after the end of CRT can visualise functional tumour response in LARC. In contrast, metabolic imaging with 18-F PET-CT is not able to predict patients with ypCR accuratelyFounded by the Fundación Investigación Mutua Madrileña. We are indebted to M. Expósito Ruiz for statistical support. and to J-L Marín Aznar for pathologic analysisYe

How khipus indicated labour contributions in an Andean village: an explanation of colour banding, seriation and ethnocategories

This research was supported by a Global Exploration Grant from the National Geographic Society (GEFNE120-14).New archival and ethnographic evidence reveals that Inka style khipus were used in the Andean community of Santiago de Anchucaya to record contributions to communal labour obligations until the 1940s. Archival testimony from the last khipu specialist in Anchucaya, supplemented by interviews with his grandson, provides the first known expert explanation for how goods, labour obligations, and social groups were indicated on Inka style Andean khipus. This evidence, combined with the analysis of Anchucaya khipus in the Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Antropología y Historia Peruana, furnishes a local model for the relationship between the two most frequent colour patterns (colour banding and seriation) that occur in khipus. In this model, colour banding is associated with individual data whilst seriation is associated with aggregated data. The archival and ethnographic evidence also explains how labour and goods were categorized in uniquely Andean ways as they were represented on khipus.PostprintPeer reviewe

Periprostatic fat measured on computed tomography as a marker for prostate cancer aggressiveness

Contains fulltext : 89797.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)OBJECTIVE: Several reports found that obesity was associated with prostate cancer (PC) aggressiveness among men treated with radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy. Studies concerning this issue have basically relied on body mass index (BMI), as a marker for general obesity. Because visceral fat is the most metabolic active fat, we sought to evaluate if periprostatic fat measured on a computed tomography (CT) is a better marker than BMI to predict PC aggressiveness in a Dutch population who underwent brachytherapy for localized PC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Of the 902 patients who underwent brachytherapy, 725 CT scans were available. Subcutaneous fat thickness (CFT), periprostatic fat area (cm(2)) and fat-density (%) were determined on the CT scan. Patients were stratified into three groups: 75 percentile of the fat-density. Associations between the three fat-density subgroups and BMI and PC aggressiveness were examined. RESULTS: 237 patients were classified as having normal weight (37.2%), 320 as overweight (50.2%) and 80 as obese (12.6%). There was a strong significant association between BMI and fat-density and CFT. The strongest correlation was seen between BMI and CFT (Pearson r coefficient = 0.71). Logistic regression analysis revealed no statistically significant association between the different fat measurements and the risk of having a high-risk disease. CONCLUSIONS: Periprostatic fat and fat-density as measured with CT were not correlated with PC aggressiveness in patients receiving brachytherapy. However, 31% of the patients with a normal BMI had a fat-density of >75 percentile of the periprostatic fat-density.01 december 201