Abstract

The organization Wikileaks delivered to five international media 250,000 cablegrams that had been sent by U.S. ambassadors in countries around the world to their government. After the media published those most relevant to public opinion, the organization was the subject of cyber attacks tomake it disappear. Likewise, the PayPal account (through which Wikileaks received donations) and the PostFinance bank account (where they maintained its activity) were cancelled. Also they were excluded from internet services like Amazon and were censored in Twitter. In response, a group of activists and hackers named Anonymous released coordinated attacks on MasterCard, Paypal and PostFinance bank on December 8.

Abstract

The editorial function has been characterized by a strong systems component, in the sense that all chain elements are closely interrelated in a necessary concatenation. The emergence of digital technologies has led to a breakdown of this logical structure, altering traditional mediation and intermediation systems and allowing the disappearance of some essential elements. Thus, roles such as the publisher or distributor, essential elements in an analog environment, may disappear in some of the models that are being generated. In line with this, new business models are also emerging and new actors in this field, with concurrent advantages which their previous experiences allow them. Amazon, Apple and Google are taking a strong position in the electronic book market.

Abstract

Electronic books have renewed the traditional concept of the book, encouraging the socialization of reading and user participation while breaking the traditional pattern of publishing. The publishing companies have been adapting to the new context with new proposals, in which the content is of increasing importance. There is a struggle between large groups such as Amazon, Apple and Google  for the control of the market as it matures. These brands are internationalizing and in 2011 landed in several European and Latin American countries, maintaining their positions as direct competitors.

Abstract

The cyanobacteria Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, is a fresh water ubiquitous species from tropical to temperate weather. It is potentially capable of producing toxins.  Thus it is necessary to monitor its presence in fresh waters associated to recreational use activities and human consumption. There are official reports and one thesis reporting the presence of C. raciborskii in Ecuador. Nevertheless, this country does not appear in the latest distribution maps of this species in the scientific literature. In this article, we report the presence of C. raciborskii in Ecuador, together with the characterization of the environmental conditions of one of the habitats where this species is present: the Limoncocha lagoon, province of Sucumbíos.

Abstract

The web is central to the work and social lives of a substantial fraction of the world’s population, but the role of popular websites may not always be subject to academic scrutiny. This is a concern if social scientists are unable to understand an aspect of users’ daily lives because one or more major websites have been ignored. To test whether popular websites may be ignored in academia, this article assesses the volume and citation impact of research mentioning any of twenty major websites. The results are consistent with the user geographic base affecting research interest and citation impact. In addition, site affordances that are useful for research also influence academic interest. Because of the latter factor, however, it is not possible to estimate the extent of academic knowledge about a site from the number of publications that mention it. Nevertheless, the virtual absence of international research about some globally important Chinese and Russian websites is a serious limitation for those seeking to understand reasons for their web success, the markets they serve or the users that spend time on them. The sites investigated were Google, YouTube, Facebook, Baidu, Wikipedia, QQ, Tmall, Taobao, Yahoo, Amazon, Twitter, Sohu, Live, VK, JD, Instagram, Sina, Weibo, Yandex, and 360.