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Padrões de assimetria associados à ecologia de cinco espécies de lagartos tropicais Cnemidophorus (Squamata, Teiidae) em áreas de restinga ao longo da costa leste brasileira / Asymmetry patterns related to ecology of five species of Cnemidophorus (Squamata, Teiidae) tropical lizards in restinga areas along the Brazilian eastern coastRafael Camilo Laia 17 March 2015 (has links)
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O estudo da instabilidade do desenvolvimento (ID) em organismos pode ser útil para identificar os primeiros sinais de estresse ambiental. Alterações na ID também influenciam a aptidão dos organismos. A variação entre a simetria dos lados esquerdo e direito, manifestada como assimetria flutuante (AF), é um indicador da ID. Ao quantificarmos a literatura científica referente aos estudos de assimetria em répteis identificamos as seguintes tendências: perturbações ambientais aumentam a AF nas populações, fêmeas tendem a escolher machos com características sexuais simétricas, a instabilidade térmica durante o desenvolvimento do ovo pode produzir
indivíduos com maior assimetria, a ocorrência de lesões é mais frequente em indivíduos assimétricos para um determinado lado e há uma correlação negativa entre a assimetria e o desempenho locomotor. Considerando os nossos critério de busca, não encontramos estudos sobre assimetria em répteis na América do Sul. Neste estudo, utilizamos diferentes caracteres merísticos e métricos bilaterais para
identificar a AF em diferentes populações de cinco espécies de lagartos do gênero Cnemidophorus (C. abaetensis, C. lacertoides, C. littoralis, C. nativo, C. ocellifer) em 15 áreas de restinga ao longo da costa leste do Brasil. A AF foi maior em populações de Cnemidophorus com maior densidade, menor em populações de restingas com maior degradação ambiental e a sua relação com a concentração de mercúrio variou dependendo da espécie. Provavelmente os agentes estressores
ambientais avaliados atuam com intensidades diferentes. O nível de degradação ambiental e a concentração de mercúrio causariam a deterioração precoce dos indivíduos com maiores valores de AF. Isso resulta em uma relação inversa entre esses estresses e a AF das populações. Indivíduos com vestígios de autotomia caudal tiveram maiores valores de AF, o que pode ser um indicativo de que
indivíduos com menor aptidão efetuam mais autotomia caudal do que aqueles com maior aptidão. Lagartos com evidências de autotomia também tiveram maior tamanho corpóreo, provavelmente devido a estes estarem expostos a mais tempo aos riscos de predação. Não encontramos diferenciação entre as espécies na frequência de autotomia caudal sendo esta talvez melhor explicada por fatores
ambientais como a intensidade de predação. Os índices de AF para caracteres múltiplos se mostraram mais eficientes do que a AF de caracteres individuais nas comparações entre indivíduos vivendo em populações com diferentes níveis de estresse e entre indivíduos com e sem autotomia caudal / The study of developmental instability (DI) in organisms may be a useful tool to identify early signals of environmental stress. Variations in DI also influence the organisms fitness. The variation between the symmetry of the left and right sides, manifested as fluctuating asymmetry (FA), is widely used as a measure of DI. We screened the available scientific literature on asymmetry in reptiles and identified the following trends: environmental disturbances increase FA in populations, females tend to select males with symmetrical sexual traits, thermal instability during egg development can produce individuals with a higher asymmetry, occurrence of injuries is more frequent in asymmetrical individuals for a particular side, and there is a negative correlation between asymmetry and locomotor performance. There was no study on reptiles asymmetry at South America, considering our screening criteria. In this study, we used meristic and metrics bilateral traits to identify FA in populations of
five species of Cnemidophorus lizards (C. abaetensis, C. lacertoides, C. littoralis, C. nativo, C. ocellifer) spread at 15 restinga areas along Brazilian east coast. The FA of individuals was higher at higher Cnemidophorus populations density, it was lower at restingas with higher environmental disturbance, and its relation to mercury
concentration varied depending on the species. Probably the evaluated
environmental stressors act with different intensities. The level of environmental disturbance and mercury concentration should cause earlier deterioration of individuals with higher FA. This results in an inverse relationship between these stressors and FA in populations. Individuals with autotomized tail had higher FA, which may indicate that individuals with lower fitness perform more tail autotomy than
those with higher fitness. Lizards with tail autotomy also had higher body size, probably because older lizards have had more encounters with predator. We found no differentiation among species on tail autotomy frequency. Perhaps tail autotomy is better explained by environmental factors such as intensity of predation. The multiple traits FA indexes were more efficient than single traits index to compare individuals in different levels of environmental stress and to compare individuals with and without tail autotomy
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Computational Approaches to Simulation and Analysis of Large Conformational Transitions in ProteinsJanuary 2017 (has links)
abstract: In a typical living cell, millions to billions of proteins—nanomachines that fluctuate and cycle among many conformational states—convert available free energy into mechanochemical work. A fundamental goal of biophysics is to ascertain how 3D protein structures encode specific functions, such as catalyzing chemical reactions or transporting nutrients into a cell. Protein dynamics span femtosecond timescales (i.e., covalent bond oscillations) to large conformational transition timescales in, and beyond, the millisecond regime (e.g., glucose transport across a phospholipid bilayer). Actual transition events are fast but rare, occurring orders of magnitude faster than typical metastable equilibrium waiting times. Equilibrium molecular dynamics (EqMD) can capture atomistic detail and solute-solvent interactions, but even microseconds of sampling attainable nowadays still falls orders of magnitude short of transition timescales, especially for large systems, rendering observations of such "rare events" difficult or effectively impossible.
Advanced path-sampling methods exploit reduced physical models or biasing to produce plausible transitions while balancing accuracy and efficiency, but quantifying their accuracy relative to other numerical and experimental data has been challenging. Indeed, new horizons in elucidating protein function necessitate that present methodologies be revised to more seamlessly and quantitatively integrate a spectrum of methods, both numerical and experimental. In this dissertation, experimental and computational methods are put into perspective using the enzyme adenylate kinase (AdK) as an illustrative example. We introduce Path Similarity Analysis (PSA)—an integrative computational framework developed to quantify transition path similarity. PSA not only reliably distinguished AdK transitions by the originating method, but also traced pathway differences between two methods back to charge-charge interactions (neglected by the stereochemical model, but not the all-atom force field) in several conserved salt bridges. Cryo-electron microscopy maps of the transporter Bor1p are directly incorporated into EqMD simulations using MD flexible fitting to produce viable structural models and infer a plausible transport mechanism. Conforming to the theme of integration, a short compendium of an exploratory project—developing a hybrid atomistic-continuum method—is presented, including initial results and a novel fluctuating hydrodynamics model and corresponding numerical code. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Physics 2017
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Padrões de assimetria associados à ecologia de cinco espécies de lagartos tropicais Cnemidophorus (Squamata, Teiidae) em áreas de restinga ao longo da costa leste brasileira / Asymmetry patterns related to ecology of five species of Cnemidophorus (Squamata, Teiidae) tropical lizards in restinga areas along the Brazilian eastern coastRafael Camilo Laia 17 March 2015 (has links)
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O estudo da instabilidade do desenvolvimento (ID) em organismos pode ser útil para identificar os primeiros sinais de estresse ambiental. Alterações na ID também influenciam a aptidão dos organismos. A variação entre a simetria dos lados esquerdo e direito, manifestada como assimetria flutuante (AF), é um indicador da ID. Ao quantificarmos a literatura científica referente aos estudos de assimetria em répteis identificamos as seguintes tendências: perturbações ambientais aumentam a AF nas populações, fêmeas tendem a escolher machos com características sexuais simétricas, a instabilidade térmica durante o desenvolvimento do ovo pode produzir
indivíduos com maior assimetria, a ocorrência de lesões é mais frequente em indivíduos assimétricos para um determinado lado e há uma correlação negativa entre a assimetria e o desempenho locomotor. Considerando os nossos critério de busca, não encontramos estudos sobre assimetria em répteis na América do Sul. Neste estudo, utilizamos diferentes caracteres merísticos e métricos bilaterais para
identificar a AF em diferentes populações de cinco espécies de lagartos do gênero Cnemidophorus (C. abaetensis, C. lacertoides, C. littoralis, C. nativo, C. ocellifer) em 15 áreas de restinga ao longo da costa leste do Brasil. A AF foi maior em populações de Cnemidophorus com maior densidade, menor em populações de restingas com maior degradação ambiental e a sua relação com a concentração de mercúrio variou dependendo da espécie. Provavelmente os agentes estressores
ambientais avaliados atuam com intensidades diferentes. O nível de degradação ambiental e a concentração de mercúrio causariam a deterioração precoce dos indivíduos com maiores valores de AF. Isso resulta em uma relação inversa entre esses estresses e a AF das populações. Indivíduos com vestígios de autotomia caudal tiveram maiores valores de AF, o que pode ser um indicativo de que
indivíduos com menor aptidão efetuam mais autotomia caudal do que aqueles com maior aptidão. Lagartos com evidências de autotomia também tiveram maior tamanho corpóreo, provavelmente devido a estes estarem expostos a mais tempo aos riscos de predação. Não encontramos diferenciação entre as espécies na frequência de autotomia caudal sendo esta talvez melhor explicada por fatores
ambientais como a intensidade de predação. Os índices de AF para caracteres múltiplos se mostraram mais eficientes do que a AF de caracteres individuais nas comparações entre indivíduos vivendo em populações com diferentes níveis de estresse e entre indivíduos com e sem autotomia caudal / The study of developmental instability (DI) in organisms may be a useful tool to identify early signals of environmental stress. Variations in DI also influence the organisms fitness. The variation between the symmetry of the left and right sides, manifested as fluctuating asymmetry (FA), is widely used as a measure of DI. We screened the available scientific literature on asymmetry in reptiles and identified the following trends: environmental disturbances increase FA in populations, females tend to select males with symmetrical sexual traits, thermal instability during egg development can produce individuals with a higher asymmetry, occurrence of injuries is more frequent in asymmetrical individuals for a particular side, and there is a negative correlation between asymmetry and locomotor performance. There was no study on reptiles asymmetry at South America, considering our screening criteria. In this study, we used meristic and metrics bilateral traits to identify FA in populations of
five species of Cnemidophorus lizards (C. abaetensis, C. lacertoides, C. littoralis, C. nativo, C. ocellifer) spread at 15 restinga areas along Brazilian east coast. The FA of individuals was higher at higher Cnemidophorus populations density, it was lower at restingas with higher environmental disturbance, and its relation to mercury
concentration varied depending on the species. Probably the evaluated
environmental stressors act with different intensities. The level of environmental disturbance and mercury concentration should cause earlier deterioration of individuals with higher FA. This results in an inverse relationship between these stressors and FA in populations. Individuals with autotomized tail had higher FA, which may indicate that individuals with lower fitness perform more tail autotomy than
those with higher fitness. Lizards with tail autotomy also had higher body size, probably because older lizards have had more encounters with predator. We found no differentiation among species on tail autotomy frequency. Perhaps tail autotomy is better explained by environmental factors such as intensity of predation. The multiple traits FA indexes were more efficient than single traits index to compare individuals in different levels of environmental stress and to compare individuals with and without tail autotomy
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Analyse physique d'écoulements décollés fortement tridimensionnels par expérimentation. Structuration spatio-temporelle et sensibilité à une turbulence amont / Experimental and physical analysis of detached and massively three-dimensional flows. Spatio-temporal structuring and sensitivity to upstream turbulenceAffejee, Faisal 24 September 2015 (has links)
Ce travail a pour objectif l’étude du tourbillon conique engendré à partir d’une maquette générique représentant un montant de baie de véhicule automobile. Cette structure tourbillonnaire est responsable de fortes fluctuations sur les vitres latérales et génère du bruit dans l’habitacle. Ces véhicules étant soumis à des vents turbulents, la sensibilité de la dynamique de cette structure tourbillonnaire à une turbulence amont a été étudiée, en plaçant une grille à l’entrée de la veine d’essais de la soufflerie.Les propriétés spatiales et temporelles des champs de vitesse et de pression pariétale ont été étudiées en associant simultanément la mesure de la vitesse par Stéréo-PIV haute fréquence à la mesure de pression pariétale fluctuante par capteurs déportés. Nous avons montré qu’un niveau modéré de turbulence amont (intensité : 6%) se traduit par une modification très importante de la dynamique du tourbillon et de la pression pariétale fluctuante associée. Notre conjecture est qu’en l’absence de turbulence externe, la contribution principale au Cp’ est liée à l’empreinte du coeur tourbillonnaire et du décollement secondaire induit. Au contraire, en présence de turbulence amont, la forte augmentation du Cp’ semble associée à une réponse globale de la structure tourbillonnaire.L’étude de la dynamique spatio-temporelle à partir des corrélations pression-vitesse a permis de mettre en évidence le couplage fort existant entre la dynamique de la nappe cisaillée et celle du coeur de la structure tourbillonnaire. Il existe ainsi une modulation de la fréquence de battement de la structure pilotée par la géométrie de la maquette et par les caractéristiques de la turbulence amont (intensité et échelle intégrale). / This work aims to study conical vortices generated from a generic model representing the A-pillar of an automotive vehicle. This vortex structure is responsible of strong fluctuations on the side window and generates noise in the cabin. As these vehicles are subjected to the turbulent wind, the sensitivity of vortex structure dynamics to an upstream turbulence was studied by adding a grid at the test section entrance of the wind tunnel.The spatial and temporal properties of the velocity fields and the wall pressure were studied by simultaneously combining High Speed Stereo-PIV and wall fluctuating pressure measurements with distant sensors. It is shown that a moderate level of upstream turbulence (6% of intensity) results in a very significant change of the vortex dynamics and the associated wall fluctuating pressure. Our assumption is that in the absence of external turbulence, the main Cp’ contributionis linked to the footprint of the vortex core and of the induced secondary separation. On the contrary, in the presence of upstream turbulence, the strong increase of Cp’ seems to be associated with a global response of the vortex structure. The study of the spatio-temporal dynamics withpressure-velocity correlations allowed highlighting the strong coupling between the dynamics ofthe shear layer and of the core of the vortex structure. Thus, there is a modulation of the flapping frequency of the vortex controlled by the geometry of the model and by the characteristics ofthe upstream turbulence (intensity and integral length scale).
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The evolutionary dynamics of biochemical networks in fluctuating environmentsPlatt, Robert John January 2011 (has links)
Typically, systems biology focuses on the form and function of networks of biochemical interactions. Questions inevitably arise as to the evolutionary origin of those networks' properties. Such questions are of interest to a growing number of systems biologists, and several groups have published studies shown how varying environments can affect network topology and lead to increased evolvability. For decades, evolutionary biologists have also investigated the evolution of evolvability and its relationship to the interactions between genotype and phenotype. While the perspectives of systems and evolutionary biologists sometimes differ, their interests in patterns of interactions and evolvability have much in common. This thesis attempts to bring together the perspectives of systems and evolutionary theory to investigate the evolutionary effects of fluctuating environments. Chapter 1 introduces the necessary themes, terminology and literature from these fields. Chapter 2 explores how rapid environmental fluctuations, or "noise", affects network size and robustness. In Chapter 3, we use the Avida platform to investigate the relationship between genetic architecture, fluctuating environments and population biology. Chapter 4 examines contingency loci as a physical basis for evolvability, while chapter 5 presents a 500-generation laboratory evolution experiment which exposes E. coli to varying environments. The final discussion, concludes that the evolution of generalism can lead to genetic architectures which confer evolvability, which may arise in rapidly fluctuating environments as a by-product of generalism rather than as a selected trait.
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Mécanismes physiologiques sous-jacents à la plasticité de la thermotolérance chez la drosophile invasive Drosophila suzukii / Underlying physiological mechanisms of thermal tolerance plasticity in the invasive fly Drosophila suzukiiEnriquez, Thomas 17 May 2019 (has links)
Drosophila suzukii est une drosophile invasive en Europe, Amérique du Nord et Amérique du Sud. Contrairement aux autres espèces de drosophiles, les femelles parasitent les fruits mûrs que les larves consomment, engendrant d’importants dégâts sur les cultures fruitières. Les stratégies mises en place par cette espèce pour tolérer les températures hivernales sous nos latitudes sont encore peu comprises. Par conséquent, l’objectif de ma thèse était d’acquérir des connaissances fondamentales sur la thermotolérance de cette espèce, en m’intéressant notamment à la plasticité de la tolérance au froid et aux mécanismes physiologiques sous-jacents à l’acclimatation. J’ai évalué la thermotolérance basale de D. suzukii en soumettant des adultes et des pupes à un large panel de températures (froides et chaudes). Ces expérimentations ont permis de confirmer que cette espèce était intolérante au froid et que des températures supérieures à 32°C impactaient grandement sa survie. Par la suite, j’ai évalué la plasticité de sa tolérance au froid. Mes travaux ont permis de confirmer que sa thermotolérance était effectivement plastique, puisque l’utilisation de températures fluctuantes ou l’acclimatation permettaient de réduire sa mortalité lors d’expositions aux basses températures. L’acclimatation chez D. suzukii était corrélée à de nombreuses modifications physiologiques, telles que l’accumulation de cryoprotecteurs, un réajustement de la composition des phospholipides membranaires et des réserves lipidiques, une régulation des gènes liés à l’activité des transporteurs ioniques ainsi qu’un maintien de l’homéostasie métabolique. Ces modifications, également observées chez d’autres espèces d’insectes, pourraient être liées à l’augmentation de la tolérance au froid de D. suzukii, jouant probablement un rôle important dans sa survie hivernale et donc dans le succès de son invasion. Ces connaissances acquises sur sa thermobiologie contribueront sans doute à mieux cerner les limites physiologiques de cette espèce et prédire l’évolution de son invasion, ainsi que sa phénologie et les variations de populations au cours des saisons dans les zones déjà envahies. Mes résultats ouvrent également des perspectives intéressantes pour la mise en place de techniques de lutte intégrée contre D. suzukii. / Drosophila suzukii is an invasive pest in Europe, North and South America. Unlike other drosophilids, females oviposit in ripe fruits that larvae consume, provoking important damages on fruit productions. The overwintering strategies of this fly are yet poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of my thesis was to acquire new fundamental knowledge about the thermal biology of this fly, and more specifically the plasticity of its thermal tolerance and the physiological mechanisms underpinning cold acclimation. In order to define its basal thermal tolerance, adults and pupae were subjected to a large set of high and low temperatures. My data confirmed that this pest was chill susceptible, and showed that survival was greatly compromised during exposures above 32°C. Next, I evaluated its thermal tolerance plasticity. My data confirmed the high plasticity of its cold tolerance, as fluctuating thermal regimes and acclimation were able to decrease the mortality due to cold exposures. Acclimation in this species was correlate with several physiological adjustments, such as: cryoprotectant accumulation, remodeling of membrane phospholipids and lipidic reserves, upregulation of genes linked with activity of ionic transporters and maintenance of metabolic homeostasis. Those modifications (which are shared among temperate insect species) are likely linked with cold tolerance increase provoked by acclimation. Therefore, these physiological adjustments could play an important role in its overwintering success in Europe and Canada, which can facilitate its invasion in these regions. These new data will participate to a better understanding of its physiological limits, and are thus of importance for predicting the evolution of its invasion front and its phenology and demographic variations in invaded areas. My results are also of interest regarding the set-up of integrated pest management strategies against this fly.
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Evaluating Ecological Influences of Altered Flow Regimes Using Two- and Three-Dimensional Hydrodynamic ModelsShen, Yi 30 September 2009 (has links)
Reservoir releases for generating power need to be reconciled with efforts to maintain healthy ecosystems in regulated rivers having irregular channel topography. Fluctuating, complex flow patterns near river obstructions such as boulders and large woody debris provide unique habitat for many aquatic organisms. Numerical modeling of the flow structures surrounding these obstructions is challenging, yet it represents an important tool for aquatic habitat assessment. Moreover, efforts for modeling the morphologically and biologically important transient flows, as well as quantifying their impacts on physical fish habitat during the unsteady-flow period remain rare.
In this dissertation, the ability of two- (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) hydraulic models to reproduce the localized complex flow features at steady base and peak flows is examined first. The performance of the two hydraulic models is evaluated by comparing the numerical results with measurements of flow around a laboratory hemisphere and boulders located at a reach of the Smith River in Virginia. Close agreement between measured values and the velocity profiles predicted by the two models is obtained outside the wakes behind these obstructions. However, results suggest that in the vicinity of theses obstructions the 3-D model is better suited for reproducing the circulation flow behavior favored by many aquatic species over a broad range of flows.
Further, time-dependent flow features affecting channel morphology and aquatic physical habitat are investigated using the numerical models for the same reach in the Smith River. Temporal variation measurements of water surface elevation and velocity profile obtained in the field during a reservoir release are in good agreement with the numerical results. A hypothetical "staggering" flow release scenario simulated by the 3-D model leads to reduced erosional area and longer refugia availability for juvenile brown trout during hydropeaking. Finally, an unsteadiness parameter β is proposed for determining whether an unsteady flow regime can be either modeled using a truly dynamic flow approach or a quasi-steady flow method. / Ph. D.
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Diversity and Mechanism of the Photosynthetic Induction Response among Various Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] Genotypes / 多様なダイズ遺伝子型における光合成誘導反応の多様性とその機構Mochamad, Arief Soleh 23 March 2016 (has links)
京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第19781号 / 農博第2177号 / 新制||農||1041(附属図書館) / 学位論文||H28||N4997(農学部図書室) / 32817 / 京都大学大学院農学研究科農学専攻 / (主査)教授 白岩 立彦, 教授 奥本 裕, 教授 稲村 達也 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM
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Expression of fluctuating asymmetry in primate teeth: Analyzing the role of growth durationMartin, Sarah Abigail 08 August 2013 (has links)
No description available.
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Olie : hoop of wanhoop vir Angola?Du Toit, Francois Stephanus 12 1900 (has links)
Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The increasing global demand for and dependency on oil provides tremendous
opportunities for oil-producing countries. Supported by the unprecedented
economic growth in developing countries such as China and India, the global
demand for oil is estimated to increase by 50% from the present 83 million
barrels a day to 120 million barrels a day by 2025. This increased demand for oil
provides the African oil industry with vast possibilities. Countries such as Angola,
Cameroon and Nigeria are already experiencing a large increase in direct foreign
investment, a higher Gross National Product en more favourable balance of
trade.
The logical conclusion from the abovementioned advantages of oil-rich countries
would seem to imply a sharp rise in the standard of living for the citizens of these
countries in the recent past. The purpose of this report is to determine if Angola,
as the world’s fastest growing oil-producer in terms of increased production of
barrels per day, offers its citizens an economically prosperous future.
Points highlighted by the report include the inevitable problems caused by
Angola’s colonial history and the recent twenty seven year long civil war. Angola
faces internal and external problems caused by
• “Dutch Disease”
• Fluctuating oil prices
• Poor governance
• Institutional capacity
China now plays an important if somewhat controversial role in Angola’s
prosperity by providing finance and aid with less stringent conditions than
Angola’s traditional sources. With Chinese aid Angola is now undertaking the
rebuilding of its infrastructure which is essential to counteract the negative
aspects of the country’s dependency on oil resource exploitation.
There is still significant corruption within the oil industry and it seems clear that
any attempts by international companies and non-governmental organisations to
counteract the problem will have limited success unless the governments and all
concerned parties take note of and accept new ethical and socially responsible
codes of behaviour.
Africa however is entering a new phase of accepting responsibility for its own
internal problems. The democratisation of the continent is setting new standards
for the fight against corruption.
Finally the report indicates that there are lessons to be learned from other
countries about using income from natural resources to benefit future
generations. Countries such as Botswana (diamonds) and Norway (oil) use
investment funds to limit their dependence on the resources and to counteract
the effect of fluctuating prices of the commodities.
Bearing in mind the above considerations, Angola cannot be expected to achieve
success overnight, but the country has all that is required to eventually assume its
rightful position on the continent and become another African economic success
story. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die wêreld se toenemende vraag na- en afhanklikheid van olie bied tans
geweldige geleenthede vir olie-produserende lande. Daar word beraam dat die
wêreldwye vraag na olie, gesteun deur ongekende ekonomiese groei in
ontwikkelende lande soos China en Indië, met meer as 50% van die huidige vlak
van 83 miljoen vate per dag teen 2025 tot 120 miljoen vate per dag sal toeneem.
Die moontlikhede wat hierdie verhoogde vraag vir die oliebedryf in Afrika bied, is
legio. Lande soos Angola, Kameroen en Nigerië ondervind reeds ʼn groot
toename in direkte buitelandse investering, ’n verhoging in bruto binnelandse
produk en gunstiger handelsbalanse.
In die lig van bogenoemde voordele vir lande wat ryk is aan oliehulpbronne, sou
die logiese afleiding wees dat die lewenstandaard van die burgers van hierdie
lande die afgelope paar jaar drasties moes verhoog het. Hierdie verslag het dit
ten doel om te sien of Angola, wat die wêreld se vinnigs groeiende olieprodusent
in terme van verhoogde produksie in vate per dag is, werklik sy burgers
ekonomiese voorspoed vir die toekoms bied.
Belangrike punte wat in die verslag na vore kom, is die onvermydelike probleme
waarmee Angola te kampe het weens die land se historiese agtergrond en die
onlangse burgeroorlog van sewe-en-twintig jaar. Interne en eksterne probleme
wat Angola teister is die gevolge van
• “Dutch Disease”
• Skommelende oliepryse
• Swak staatsbestuur
• Institusionele kapasiteit
China is ’n nuwe, hoewel ietwat kontroversiële, faktor in Angola se vooruitgang
en stel minder beperkende voorwaardes as Angola se tradisionele bronne vir
finansiering en hulpverlening. Met Chinese hulp is Angola nou besig met die
heropbou van sy infrastruktuur, wat noodsaaklik is as hy die negatiewe aspekte
van die land se afhanlikheid van olie-ontginning wil afskud.
Korrupsie binne die oliebedryf is egter nog beduidend en dit is duidelik dat die
pogings van internasionale maatskappye en nie-regeringsorganisasies om die
probleem die hoof te bied, beperk sal bly tensy die regerings en alle
belanghebbende partye kennis neem van nuwe etiese en sosiaal
verantwoordelike optredes en dit aanvaar.
Afrika gaan deur ’n nuwe fase waar die vasteland self verantwoordelikheid
aanvaar vir sy interne probleme. Die demokratisering van die vasteland behels
die aanvaarding van nuwe standaarde ten opsigte van die bekamping van
korrupsie.
Ten slotte noem die verslag dat daar lesse te leer is van ander lande wat hul
inkomste uit hulpbron-ontginning tot voordeel van toekomstige geslagte
aanwend. Lande soos Botswana (diamante) en Noorweë (olie) maak gebruik van
beleggingsfondse om die land se afhanklikheid van die hulpbron te beperk en om
die uitwerking van prysskommelings van die kommoditeit teen te werk.
Met inagneming van bogenoemde oorwegings kan nie verwag word dat Angola
oornag ekonomiese sukses sal behaal nie, maar die land het alles wat nodig is
om mettertyd sy regmatige plek op die vasteland in te neem en na vore te tree as
nog ’n ekonomiese suksesverhaal uit Afrika.
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