What Have We Learned about the Resource Curse?

Since 2001, hundreds of academic studies have examined the “resource curse, ” meaning the claim that natural resource wealth tends to perversely affect a country’s governance. There is now robust evidence that one type of mineral wealth, petroleum, has at least three harmful effects: it tends to make authoritarian regimes more durable, to increase certain types of corruption, and to help trigger violent conflict in low and middle income countries. Scholars have also made progress toward understanding the mechanisms that lead to these outcomes, and the conditions that make them more likely. This essay reviews the evidence behind these claims, the debates over their validity, and some of the unresolved puzzles for future research.

Placental-mediated increased cytokine response to lipopolysaccharides: a potential mechanism for enhanced inflammation susceptibility of the preterm fetus.

BackgroundCerebral palsy is a nonprogressive motor impairment syndrome that has no effective cure. The etiology of most cases of cerebral palsy remains unknown; however, recent epidemiologic data have demonstrated an association between fetal neurologic injury and infection/inflammation. Maternal infection/inflammation may be associated with the induction of placental cytokines that could result in increased fetal proinflammatory cytokine exposure, and development of neonatal neurologic injury. Therefore, we sought to explore the mechanism by which maternal infection may produce a placental inflammatory response. We specifically examined rat placental cytokine production and activation of the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway in response to lipopolysaccharide exposure at preterm and near-term gestational ages.MethodsPreterm (e16) or near-term (e20) placental explants from pregnant rats were treated with 0, 1, or 10 μg/mL lipopolysaccharide. Explant integrity was assessed by lactate dehydrogenase assay. Interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis alpha levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. TLR4 and phosphorylated nuclear factor kappa light chain enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB) protein expression levels were determined by Western blot analysis.ResultsAt both e16 and e20, lactate dehydrogenase levels were unchanged by treatment with lipopolysaccharide. After exposure to lipopolysaccharide, the release of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis alpha from e16 placental explants increased by 4-fold and 8-9-fold, respectively (P < 0.05 versus vehicle). Conversely, interleukin-6 release from e20 explants was not significantly different compared with vehicle, and tumor necrosis alpha release was only 2-fold higher (P < 0.05 versus vehicle) following exposure to lipopolysaccharide. Phosphorylated NFκB protein expression was significantly increased in the nuclear fraction from placental explants exposed to lipopolysaccharide at both e16 and e20, although TLR4 protein expression was unaffected.ConclusionLipopolysaccharide induces higher interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis alpha expression at e16 versus e20, suggesting that preterm placentas may have a greater placental cytokine response to lipopolysaccharide infection. Furthermore, increased phosphorylated NFκB indicates that placental cytokine induction may occur by activation of the TLR4 pathway

The big oil change: a closer look at the Haber-Menaldo analysis

The claim that oil wealth tends to block democratic transitions has recently been challenged by Haber and Menaldo, who use historical data going back to 1800 and conclude there is no “resource curse.” We revisit their data and models, and show they might be correct for the period before the 1970s, but since about 1980, there has been a pronounced resource curse. We argue that oil wealth only became a hindrance to democratic transitions after the transformative events of the 1970s, which enabled developing country governments to capture the oil rents that were previously siphoned off by foreign-owned firms. We also explain why the Haber–Menaldo study failed to identify this: partly because the authors draw invalid inferences from their data and partly because they assume that the relationship between oil wealth and democracy has not changed for the past 200 years

Hydrologic Restoration of the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands: mosquito and drainage ditch inventory and recommendations

The management and restoration of the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands (BBCW) is a complex issue. Unlike other natural areas under the supervision of the National Park System, the BBCW had endured many years of neglect and abuse by homesteaders who, prior to the establishment of Biscayne National Monument in 1968, had free reign of the area and tried to farm and develop the land by ditching and infilling. Furthermore, public works projects, dating back to the early 1900’s for mosquito control, land reclamation, and storm surge protection along with homesteader activities have combined to compartmentalize the coastal wetlands of present Biscayne National Park and adjacent marshes

Elasticity of plagioclase feldspars

AbstractElastic properties are reported for eight plagioclase feldspars that span compositions from albite (NaSi3AlO8) to anorthite (CaSi2Al2O8). Surface acoustic wave velocities measured using Impulsive Stimulated Light Scattering and compliance sums from high‐pressure X‐ray compression studies accurately determine all 21 components of the elasticity tensor for these triclinic minerals. The overall pattern of elasticity and the changes in individual elastic components with composition can be rationalized on the basis of the evolution of crystal structures and chemistry across this solid‐solution join. All plagioclase feldspars have high elastic anisotropy; a* (the direction perpendicular to the b and c axes) is the softest direction by a factor of 3 in albite. From albite to anorthite the stiffness of this direction undergoes the greatest change, increasing twofold. Small discontinuities in the elastic components, inferred to occur between the three plagioclase phases with distinct symmetry ( , , and ), appear consistent with the nature of the underlying conformation of the framework‐linked tetrahedra and the associated structural changes. Measured body wave velocities of plagioclase‐rich rocks, reported over the last five decades, are consistent with calculated Hill‐averaged velocities using the current moduli. This confirms long‐standing speculation that previously reported elastic moduli for plagioclase feldspars are systematically in error. The current results provide greater assurance that the seismic structure of the middle and lower crusts can be accurately estimated on the basis of specified mineral modes, chemistry, and fabric

Long-Term Outcomes in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review of Patellar Tendon Versus Hamstring Autografts.

BACKGROUND: Much controversy still exists surrounding graft choice in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Over the past decade, an increase in comparative studies with longer follow-up has enhanced our understanding of current graft options and outcomes. PURPOSE: To describe the long-term comparative outcomes of ACL reconstruction with autograft bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) versus autograft hamstring (HS) ACL reconstruction with regard to clinical and radiographic outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 2. METHODS: A search of the PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane, and Scopus databases was performed to identify studies in the English language with outcome data comparing ACL reconstruction utilizing autograft BPTB and autograft HS; only studies with a minimum 5-year follow-up were included. Outcome data included failure and complications, manual and instrumented laxity, patient-reported outcomes, and radiographic risk of osteoarthritis. RESULTS: Twelve studies with a total of 953 patients met the inclusion criteria. Of these studies, 8 were level 1 evidence and 2 were level 2. Mean follow-up was 8.96 years (range, 5-15.3 years). No differences in graft failure or manual or instrumented laxity were seen in any studies. Lower clinical outcomes scores and greater motion loss were seen in BPTB patients in 1 and 2 studies, respectively. Two of 4 studies reporting on anterior knee pain, and 3 of 7 that recorded kneeling pain found it more frequently among BPTB patients. One study found significantly increased reoperation rates in HS patients, while another found a similar result in BPTB, and 1 study reported a significant increase in contralateral ACL tears in BPTB patients. Three of 5 studies reporting on radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis noted significantly increased rates in BPTB patients. CONCLUSION: This systematic review comparing long-term outcomes after ACL reconstruction with either autograft BPTB or autograft HS suggests no significant differences in manual/instrumented laxity and graft failures between graft types. An increase in long-term anterior knee pain, kneeling pain, and higher rates of osteoarthritis were noted with BPTB graft use