The Privatization and Project Finance Adventure: Acquiring a Colombian Public Utility Company

Colombia is an exciting new arena for the international practitioner structuring project finance and privatization transactions. The sectors of the economy that are attractive targets for most multinationals (MNCs) entering Colombia are the energy, oil and gas, mining, water, and telecommunications sectors. In most cases, MNCs in these sectors consider investments in Colombia when the Colombian authorities announce a plan for the privatization or capitalization of state-run companies that have a monopoly on business. Often the MNC becomes aware of the privatization, concession, or capitalization project via an official announcement by the Colombian government calling for bids or an invitation informing the MNC that it is qualified for the particular project or a specific aspect of the project. When a client is interested in participating in the bid process, it will most certainly, unless it has participated in other bids in Colombia, approach counsel and its other advisors with assumptions of how the bid should be structured, from both a Colombian and U.S. angle. In these instances, the only option for counsel and other advisors is to listen and take note. The following key questions must be considered under this scenario: what type of restrictions exist under current privatization laws; what form of business association should be used; what is the tax treatment regarding business associations, dividend treatment, technical services and assistance contracts, and repatriation of profits; do foreign exchange regulations hinder the availability of using inter-company loans and foreign currency operations; how should the due diligence review be performed; and how should local counsel be chosen

The Privatization and Project Finance Adventure: Acquiring a Colombian Public Utility Company

Colombia is an exciting new arena for the international practitioner structuring project finance and privatization transactions. The sectors of the economy that are attractive targets for most multinationals (MNCs) entering Colombia are the energy, oil and gas, mining, water, and telecommunications sectors. In most cases, MNCs in these sectors consider investments in Colombia when the Colombian authorities announce a plan for the privatization or capitalization of state-run companies that have a monopoly on business. Often the MNC becomes aware of the privatization, concession, or capitalization project via an official announcement by the Colombian government calling for bids or an invitation informing the MNC that it is qualified for the particular project or a specific aspect of the project. When a client is interested in participating in the bid process, it will most certainly, unless it has participated in other bids in Colombia, approach counsel and its other advisors with assumptions of how the bid should be structured, from both a Colombian and U.S. angle. In these instances, the only option for counsel and other advisors is to listen and take note. The following key questions must be considered under this scenario: what type of restrictions exist under current privatization laws; what form of business association should be used; what is the tax treatment regarding business associations, dividend treatment, technical services and assistance contracts, and repatriation of profits; do foreign exchange regulations hinder the availability of using inter-company loans and foreign currency operations; how should the due diligence review be performed; and how should local counsel be chosen

Locating Malangatana: decolonisation, aesthetics and the roles of an artist in a changing society

This thesis responds to the dearth of detailed studies of pioneering African modernists; and the need for fresh theoretical frameworks for the interpretation of their art. Building on recent scholarship that applies decolonisation as an epistemic framework, it argues that a productive decolonial discourse needs to consider concurrent forms of nationalism and cultural agency in both the anti/colonial and postcolonial periods. Central to this approach is an analysis of the aesthetic responses of artists to the experiences and legacies of colonialism. This thesis is grounded in a study of Malangatana Valente Ngwenya (1936-2011), Mozambique’s most celebrated artist. It draws substantially on archival material and rare publications, mostly in Portuguese. The artist’s career is located within changing social and political contexts, specifically the anti/colonial period, and the promise and collapse of the postcolonial revolutionary project, with the pervasive influence of the Cold War highlighted. Following the advent of globalisation, the artist’s role in normalising postcolonial relations with Portugal is foregrounded. Parallel to his contribution to Mozambican art and society, Malangatana features prominently in surveys of modern African art. The notion of the artist fulfilling divergent social roles at different points in time for evolving publics is linked to an analysis of his emergence as a composite cultural sign: autodidact; revolutionary; cultural ‘ambassador’; and global citizen. The artist’s decolonial aesthetics are positioned in relation to those of his pan-African peers, with four 6 themes elaborated: colonial assimilation; anti-colonial resistance; postcolonial dystopia; and the articulation of a new Mozambican identity. Key to this analysis is an elaboration of the concept of the polemic sign, initially proposed by Jean Duvignaud (1967), adapted here to interpret the artist’s predilection for composite visual signs that, in their ambivalence and often provocative significations, resist processes of definitive translation. It is argued that through a juxtaposition of disparate forms of signs, and the simultaneous deployment of semi-realist and narrative pictorial strategies, the artist develops a complex, eclectic and evocative aesthetic that requires critical and open-ended engagement. The thesis concludes with provocative questions regarding the extent to which the artist’s aesthetics reflect hegemonic national narratives, or act to unsettle these. of a new Mozambican identity. Key to this analysis is an elaboration of the concept of the polemic sign, initially proposed by Jean Duvignaud (1967), adapted here to interpret the artist’s predilection for composite visual signs that, in their ambivalence and often provocative significations, resist processes of definitive translation. It is argued that through a juxtaposition of disparate forms of signs, and the simultaneous deployment of semi-realist and narrative pictorial strategies, the artist develops a complex, eclectic and evocative aesthetic that requires critical and open-ended engagement. The thesis concludes with provocative questions regarding the extent to which the artist’s aesthetics reflect hegemonic national narratives, or act to unsettle these

“Only People Who Know It Here Speak Well of It...”: The Location of Social Housing in Brazilian Cities and Effects of Territorial Stigmatization

In Brazil, social housing estates have acquired a reputation as substandard housing and places of the poor. Throughout the second half of the 20th century, housing policies that were designed on a national and local level focused on the fight against the growth of favelas in Brazilian cities. Often, the inhabitants of favelas were resettled to public housing estates (conjuntos habitacionais) in the urban peripheries where they did not have access to infrastructures and public services. This has contributed much to the bad image of social housing. In their daily life, the residents are subjected to a multilayered process of stigmatization. This article considers a conjunto that was established in the central area of Belo Horizonte in the 1940s. Even though its location brought important advantages, the inhabitants suffer from the stigma of being dwellers of a housing complex (“moradores de conjunto”). By analyzing contemporary sources and oral history interviews, this article aims to contribute to the discussion about the location of social housing in Brazilian cities and the effects of territorial stigmatization. Furthermore, the focus is on recent developments which show that there are several ways how stigma can be reduced or even reversed

El número en la escuela

El artículo “El Número en la Escuela”presenta avances de investigación realizados por estudiantes de la Maestría en Docencia de las Matemáticas de la Universidad Pedagógica Nacional como parte de sus respectivos trabajos de grado. El primero, referido a la formación de docentes de preescolar y primeros grados de educación primaria sobre Estructura Aditiva, expone la forma en que abordar dicha estructura contribuye al proceso de construcción del número Natural en los primeros grados de escolaridad. El segundo, basado en el modelo del profesor Carlo Federici, estudia la construcción de los números racionales como operadores sobre magnitudes, específicamente, sobre longitudes cuya representación son los segmentos. Y el tercero, permite reflexionar sobre el acercamiento al concepto de número real con estudiantes de Secundaria y Media

Avaliação do potencial de veículos conectados e autónomos para redução de consumos e emissões

No setor dos transportes prevê-se um avanço tecnológico significativo, quer ao nível da introdução de sistemas inteligentes transportes cooperativos, quer através da progressiva introdução de veículos com um grau crescente de autonomia. Este avanço tecnológico pode originar ganhos significativos na segurança e eficiência do sistema de transportes. O principal objetivo desta Dissertação consiste no estudo do potencial dos veículos conectados e autónomos (CAV) na redução de consumos de combustível e de emissões de poluentes através de funções de desempenho operacional em diferentes tipologias de artérias rodoviárias. Neste trabalho foram selecionados quatro troços de vias rodoviárias de uma cidade portuguesa de média dimensão (Aveiro) para recolher dados retirados através de microssimulação com recurso ao software VISSIM. Tendo como objetivo avaliar o nível de emissões que advém da introdução de CAV na rede de tráfego é analisado um sistema com vários cenários representando taxas de penetração diferentes de CAV e é observado o impacto que estes têm nos veículos convencionais para os diferentes tipos de vias. Assim, de modo a antecipar o que acontece na infraestrutura rodoviária, são relacionados vários conjuntos de dados como as emissões de gases com efeito de estufa (GEE) e a distribuição dos modos da potência especifica dos veículos (VSP, que relaciona a dinâmica de um veículo com as suas emissões de poluentes). Os resultados obtidos sugerem que é possível obter reduções das emissões com a introdução dos CAV no fluxo de tráfego dependendo das características da via. Também sobre este pressuposto é possível obter resultados positivos quando se trata da influência que estes veículos têm sobre os veículos convencionais e quanto maior a taxa de penetração, maior vai ser essa influência chegando a reduções de emissões de CO2 de 13%. Deste modo, reduções de aproximadamente 18% de emissões totais de CO2 são obtidas para estradas nacionais e reduções de 18% são obtidas para autoestrada com limitação de velocidade dos CAV. Para ambos os casos, o melhor resultado obtém-se para a maior taxa de penetração. No entanto, quando se trata de vias em meio urbano os resultados não são positivos chegando mesmo a ocorrer um aumento das emissões tanto para os CAV como para os veículos convencionais.A significant technological advance is expected in the transportation sector due to the implementation of cooperative intelligent transport systems as well as due to a progressive implementation of vehicles with an increasing degree of autonomy. This technological advance can significantly improve safety and efficiency of the transportation system. This work aims to study the potential impacts of connected autonomous vehicles (CAV) in fuel consumption and pollutant emissions through operational performance functions on different types of roads. In this study, four sections of roadways of a medium-sized Portuguese city (Aveiro) were selected in order to collect data obtained through microsimulation using VISSIM software. This work analyses a system with several scenarios assessing different CAV penetration rates. The main goal is to explore the impact they have on the conventional vehicles on different types of roads. Thus, aiming to anticipate what happens on road infrastructure, several sets of data such as greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions are estimated based on the distribution of vehicle specific power modes (VSP, which associates the vehicle dynamics with its pollutant gas emissions). The results suggest that it is possible to obtain a reduction of gas emissions with the implementation of CAV in traffic flow depending on the road distinguishing features. Under this assumption, it is also possible to get positive results when referring to the effect these vehicles have on the conventional vehicles. It has been shown the higher the penetration rate is, the higher reduction on emissions is observed with a 13% reduction in CO2 emissions. Thus, a reduction of approximately 18% in CO2 total emissions is obtained on national roads and a 18% reduction is obtained on highways with speed limit for CAV. On both cases, the best result is obtained with the higher penetration rate. However, as far as the urban area is concerned, the results are not positive and there is even an increase in gas emissions with CAV as well as with conventional vehicles.Mestrado em Engenharia Mecânic

Una revisión de la literatura sobre población de ontologías

The main goal of ontologies in computing is related to the definition of a common vocabulary for describing basic concepts and relationships on a specific domain. Main components of ontologies are classes—concepts—, instances, properties, relations, and axioms, among others elements. The ontology population process is intended to receive an ontology as input in order to extract and relate the instances of each ontology class from heterogenous information sources. In this paper we perform a systematic state-of-the-art review about ontology population. We select papers from specialized databases and we create a research question for driving paper search. The results of our review points out ontology population as an interesting topic for researchers. Even though we have several techniques for driving the process, fully automated tools are still missing and we also miss high levels of precision and recall.El principal objetivo de las ontologías en computación es la definición de un vocabulario común para describir conceptos básicos y sus relaciones en un dominio específico. Los principales componentes de las ontologías son clases (conceptos), instancias, propiedades, relaciones y axiomas, entre otros elementos. El proceso de población de ontologías se refiere a la recepción de una ontología como entrada, para luego extraer y relacionar las instancias a cada clase de la ontología desde fuentes de información heterogéneas. En este artículo se realiza una revisión sistemática de literatura sobre la población de ontologías. Se seleccionan artículos de bases de datos especializadas y se crea una pregunta de investigación que permita dirigir la búsqueda de los artículos. Los resultados de la revisión apuntan a que la población de ontologías es un tema de interés para los investigadores. A pesar de que existen muchas técnicas para realizar el proceso, hace falta crear herramientas automáticas y con altos niveles de precision y recall