Land and Law in Marijuana Country: Clean Capital, Dirty Money, and the Drug War's Rentier Nexus.

Science.gov (United States)

Polson, Michael

2013-11-01

Despite its ongoing federal illegality, marijuana production has become a licit, or socially accepted, feature of northern California's real estate market. As such, marijuana is a key component of land values and the laundering of "illegal" wealth into legitimate circulation. By following land transaction practices, relations, and instruments, this article shows how formally equal property transactions become substantively unequal in light of the "il/legal" dynamics of marijuana land use. As marijuana becomes licit, prohibitionist policies have enabled the capture of ground rent by landed interests from the marijuana industry at a time when the price of marijuana is declining (in part due to its increasing licitness). The resulting "drug war rentier nexus," a state-land-finance complex, is becoming a key, if obscured, component within marijuana's contemporary political economy.

Allegheny County Illegal Dump Sites

Data.gov (United States)

Allegheny County / City of Pittsburgh / Western PA Regional Data Center — The Illegal Dump Site dataset includes information on illegal dump sites, their type of trash, and the estimate tons of trash at each site. The information was...

Geo-spatial aspects of acceptance of illegal hunting of large carnivores in Scandinavia.

Science.gov (United States)

Gangaas, Kristin E; Kaltenborn, Bjørn P; Andreassen, Harry P

2013-01-01

Human-carnivore conflicts are complex and are influenced by: the spatial distribution of the conflict species; the organisation and intensity of management measures such as zoning; historical experience with wildlife; land use patterns; and local cultural traditions. We have used a geographically stratified sampling of social values and attitudes to provide a novel perspective to the human - wildlife conflict. We have focused on acceptance by and disagreements between residents (measured as Potential Conflict Index; PCI) towards illegal hunting of four species of large carnivores (bear, lynx, wolf, wolverine). The study is based on surveys of residents in every municipality in Sweden and Norway who were asked their opinion on illegal hunting. Our results show how certain social values are associated with acceptance of poaching, and how these values differ geographically independent of carnivore abundance. Our approach differs from traditional survey designs, which are often biased towards urban areas. Although these traditional designs intend to be representative of a region (i.e. a random sample from a country), they tend to receive relatively few respondents from rural areas that experience the majority of conflict with carnivores. Acceptance of poaching differed significantly between Norway (12.7-15.7% of respondents) and Sweden (3.3-4.1% of respondents). We found the highest acceptance of illegal hunting in rural areas with free-ranging sheep and strong hunting traditions. Disagreements between residents (as measured by PCI) were highest in areas with intermediate population density. There was no correlation between carnivore density and either acceptance of illegal hunting or PCI. A strong positive correlation between acceptance of illegal hunting and PCI showed that areas with high acceptance of illegal hunting are areas with high potential conflict between people. Our results show that spatially-stratified surveys are required to reveal the large scale

The Knotted Sign: Poetics of Illegibility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elvira Blanco Santini

2017-05-01

Full Text Available One might argue that legibility precedes any concern about poetics, because: What are the poetics of something we cannot understand? However, our interaction with digital technology constantly exposes us to the illegibility intrinsic to its operations. The aim of this essay is to reflect on illegibility from three perspectives: the definition of readability as a Eurocentric cultural regime, the exploration of the poetics of the machine-readable as opposed to the human-readable, and the proposition that we are facing an increasingly ubiquitous regime of illegibility that is not limited to writing. After this vaguely chronological review of the modern history of illegibility, I will attempt to answer: What can the unreadable mean as an expressive resource?

Illegal Immigration and Agrarian Labour Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Venancio Salcines

2003-03-01

Full Text Available In this work we analyse the relation which exists between a landowner and the immigrant workers contracted illegally by this person. For this reason, a theoretical model is developed based on the interconnection between the illegal and legal labour market. The big landowner analysed exercises a monopolistic power in the contracting of illegal manual labour. The application of a tariff in two parts permits this big landowner to obtain a greater surplus from the worker.

The Application of Chinese High-Spatial Remote Sensing Satellite Image in Land Law Enforcement Information Extraction

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, N.; Yang, R.

2018-04-01

Chinese high -resolution (HR) remote sensing satellites have made huge leap in the past decade. Commercial satellite datasets, such as GF-1, GF-2 and ZY-3 images, the panchromatic images (PAN) resolution of them are 2 m, 1 m and 2.1 m and the multispectral images (MS) resolution are 8 m, 4 m, 5.8 m respectively have been emerged in recent years. Chinese HR satellite imagery has been free downloaded for public welfare purposes using. Local government began to employ more professional technician to improve traditional land management technology. This paper focused on analysing the actual requirements of the applications in government land law enforcement in Guangxi Autonomous Region. 66 counties in Guangxi Autonomous Region were selected for illegal land utilization spot extraction with fusion Chinese HR images. The procedure contains: A. Defines illegal land utilization spot type. B. Data collection, GF-1, GF-2, and ZY-3 datasets were acquired in the first half year of 2016 and other auxiliary data were collected in 2015. C. Batch process, HR images were collected for batch preprocessing through ENVI/IDL tool. D. Illegal land utilization spot extraction by visual interpretation. E. Obtaining attribute data with ArcGIS Geoprocessor (GP) model. F. Thematic mapping and surveying. Through analysing 42 counties results, law enforcement officials found 1092 illegal land using spots and 16 suspicious illegal mining spots. The results show that Chinese HR satellite images have great potential for feature information extraction and the processing procedure appears robust.

Labour Market Interactions Between Legal and Illegal Immigrants

OpenAIRE

Epstein, Gil S

2000-01-01

This paper looks at the situation of legal immigrants who employ illegal immigrants to provide them with various services. This enables the legal immigrants to allocate more time to other work, thereby increasing their earnings. Illegal immigrants employed by legal immigrants may specialize in certain professions and may themselves employ other illegal immigrants. An economy is evolving whose sole purpose is the provision of services by illegal immigrants for legal immigrants.

Labor Market Interactions Between Legal and Illegal Immigrants

OpenAIRE

Epstein, Gil S.

2000-01-01

This paper looks at the situation of legal immigrants who employ illegal immigrants to provide them with various services. This enables the legal immigrants to allocate more time to other work, thereby increasing their earnings. Illegal immigrants employed by legal immigrants may specialize in certain professions and may themselves employ other illegal immigrants. An economy is evolving whose sole purpose is the provision of services by illegal immigrants for legal immigrants.

Peri-urbanisation and the evolution of land rights in Greater Gaborone

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In addition, and contrary to evolutionary theory of land rights predictions, customary land-tenure practices have neither become unstable nor led to mismanagement of land resources in the village. The village has been devoid of the illegal and chaotic land transactions and developments that have characterised other ...

The Value Added Tax Implications of Illegal Transactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SP van Zyl

2011-01-01

Full Text Available In the case of MP Finance Group CC (In Liquidation v CSARS the High Court of Appeal ruled that income "received by" a taxpayer from illegal gains will be taxable in the hands of the taxpayer. This article explores whether or not the decision in the MP Finance-case (and preceding cases on the taxation of illegal receipts can be applied to determine if illegal transactions are subject to VAT and moreover if a trader in illegal goods and services should register as a VAT vendor. Although strictly speaking no analogy can be drawn between the charging provisions for income tax and VAT, it is clear that in the determination of the taxability of illegal income, the courts applied the principle of tax neutrality. In terms of the principle of tax neutrality, taxes are not concerned with the legality or illegality of a transaction, but rather with whether the transaction complies with the requirements for it to be taxed or not. That said, the European Court of Justice has a different approach in applying this principle. According to the European Court of Justice where the intrinsic nature of the goods excludes it from the commercial arena (like narcotic drugs it should not be subject to VAT, but where the goods compete with a legal market it must be subject to VAT. Charging VAT on illegal transactions might give the impression that government benefits from criminal activities. However, if illegal transactions are not subject to VAT the trader in illegal goods will benefit as his products will be 14% cheaper than his rival’s. Is this necessarily a moral dilemma? In conclusion three arguments can be deduced on the question if illegal transactions should be subject to VAT:1. Illegal transactions should not be taxed at all. Illegal goods or services fall outside the sphere of the application of the charging provision in section 7(1 of the VAT Act. Moreover, taxing illegal transactions lends a quasi-validity to the contract and gives the impression that

Changes in Illegal Behavior During Emerging Adulthood

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Badiah Haffejee

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Emerging adulthood marks a critical developmental juncture during which some individuals disengage from the illegal behavior of their adolescence while others continue to use substances and commit crimes. While risk factors for delinquency during adolescence are well studied, factors that influence persisting or desisting from illegal activities during emerging adulthood have not been fully explored. This mixed methods study utilizes a sample of college students aged 18-25 (N=74 and examines factors differentiating those who abstained from illegal behaviors, desisted from illegal behaviors, and persisted in illegal behaviors. Multinomial logistic regression models indicated peers offending and hours spent studying predicted desisting and peers offending predicted persisting (compared to the abstaining group. Three qualitative themes: family and peer bonds, morals and values, and fear of consequences further explained factors influencing emerging adults’ persisting and desisting choices. Implications for social work practice are explored.

Understanding illegality and corruption in forest governance.

Science.gov (United States)

Sundström, Aksel

2016-10-01

This review synthesizes the literature studying illegality and government corruption in forest management. After discussing the theoretical connections between different types of corruption and illegal forest-related activities it describes the major trends in previous studies, examining cross-national patterns as well as local in-depth studies. Both theory and available empirical findings provide a straightforward suggestion: Bribery is indeed a "door opener" for illegal activities to take place in forest management. It then discusses the implications for conservation, focusing first on international protection schemes such as the REDD+ and second on efforts to reduce illegality and bribery in forest management. Key aspects to consider in the discussion on how to design monitoring institutions of forest regulations is how to involve actors without the incentive to engage in bribery and how to make use of new technologies that may publicize illegal behavior in distant localities. The review concludes by discussing avenues for future research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clandestine abortions are not necessarily illegal.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, R J

1991-01-01

It is common to find the term illegal abortion misused. Often times this misuse is perpetrated by antiabortion advocates who wish to reinforce negative stereotypes and thus apply pressure on doctors to refrain from performing abortions. Until a practitioner is prosecuted and convicted of performing an abortion contrary to the law, the procedure should not be referred to as illegal. Instead the legally neutral term, abortion, should be used instead. This would better serve the interests of women's reproductive health. There is no legal system that makes abortion illegal in all circumstances. For example, abortion is often legal if the life of the mother in danger. This includes a perception on behalf of the practitioner that the women may be suicidal or attempt to terminate the pregnancy by herself. A practitioner performing an abortion in such circumstances is not doing so illegally. The use of the term illegal abortion ignores the fact that in criminal law one is presumed innocent until proven guilty. A prosecutor must prove 1st that an intervention was performed and 2nd that a criminal intent accompanied the intervention. It is this 2nd criterion that is often the hardest to prove, since the practitioner must only testify that the intervention was indicated by legally allowed circumstances to be innocent. The prosecutor must show bad faith in order to gain a justified conviction. Even abortion by unqualified practitioners may not be illegal if doctors refuse to perform the intervention because it is still indicated. Accurate description of abortions would clarify situations in which abortion can be legally provided.

Perspectives on Illegal Routes in Nigeria

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Nneka Umera-Okeke

University of Kwazulu-Natal. Pietermaritzburg, South ... Key Words: Nigeria Immigration Service, Illegal Routes, Security Policing, Border,. State .... transported weapons across borders to sell them in exchange for food or other commodities. ... The study's respondents were of the opinion that illegal routes exist around the ...

28 CFR 36.209 - Illegal use of drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Illegal use of drugs. 36.209 Section 36... PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS AND IN COMMERCIAL FACILITIES General Requirements § 36.209 Illegal use of drugs. (a... discrimination against an individual based on that individual's current illegal use of drugs. (2) A public...

Characteristics of illegal and legal cigarette packs sold in Guatemala.

Science.gov (United States)

Arevalo, Rodrigo; Corral, Juan E; Monzon, Diego; Yoon, Mira; Barnoya, Joaquin

2016-11-25

Guatemala, as a party to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), is required to regulate cigarette packaging and labeling and eliminate illicit tobacco trade. Current packaging and labeling characteristics (of legal and illegal cigarettes) and their compliance with the FCTC is unknown. We sought to analyze package and label characteristics of illegal and legal cigarettes sold in Guatemala. We visited the 22 largest traditional markets in the country to purchase illegal cigarettes. All brands registered on tobacco industry websites were purchased as legal cigarettes. Analysis compared labeling characteristics of illegal and legal packs. Most (95%) markets and street vendors sold illegal cigarettes; 104 packs were purchased (79 illegal and 25 legal). Ten percent of illegal and none of the legal packs had misleading terms. Half of the illegal packs had a warning label covering 26 to 50% of the pack surface. All legal packs had a label covering 25% of the surface. Illegal packs were more likely to have information on constituents and emissions (85% vs. 45%, p Guatemala, neither illegal nor legal cigarette packs comply with FCTC labeling mandates. Urgent implementation and enforcement of the FCTC is necessary to halt the tobacco epidemic.

Illegal drug use among female university students in Slovakia.

Science.gov (United States)

Matejovičová, Barbora; Trandžík, Jozef; Schlarmannová, Janka; Boledovičová, Mária; Velemínský, Miloš

2015-01-20

This study is focused on the issue of illegal drug use among female university students preparing to become teachers. The main aim was to determine the frequency of drug abuse in a group of young women (n=215, mean age 20.44 years). Using survey methods, we determined that 33.48% of female university students in Slovakia use illegal drugs and 66.51% of students have never used illegal drugs. Differences between these groups were determined using statistical analysis, mostly in 4 areas of survey questions. We determined that education of parents has a statistically significant influence on use of illegal drugs by their children (χ2=10.14; Pstudents not using illegal drugs were interested in how their children spend their free time (68.53%). We confirmed the relationship between consumption of alcohol and illegal drug use (χ2=16.645; Pstudents is marijuana. Our findings are relevant for comparison and generalization regarding causes of the steady increase in number of young people using illegal drugs.

28 CFR 35.131 - Illegal use of drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Illegal use of drugs. 35.131 Section 35... STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES General Requirements § 35.131 Illegal use of drugs. (a) General. (1... an individual based on that individual's current illegal use of drugs. (2) A public entity shall not...

Foreign direct investment, fiscal decentralization and land conflicts in China

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wu, Yan; Heerink, Nico

2016-01-01

Land disputes have been an important risk to social stability in China since the turn of the century. This paper uses provincial data on illegal land uses during the period 1999-2010 as a proxy for the intensity of land conflicts to investigate the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) and

Innovative Techniques for Estimating Illegal Activities in a Human-Wildlife-Management Conflict

Science.gov (United States)

Cross, Paul; St. John, Freya A. V.; Khan, Saira; Petroczi, Andrea

2013-01-01

Effective management of biological resources is contingent upon stakeholder compliance with rules. With respect to disease management, partial compliance can undermine attempts to control diseases within human and wildlife populations. Estimating non-compliance is notoriously problematic as rule-breakers may be disinclined to admit to transgressions. However, reliable estimates of rule-breaking are critical to policy design. The European badger (Meles meles) is considered an important vector in the transmission and maintenance of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle herds. Land managers in high bTB prevalence areas of the UK can cull badgers under license. However, badgers are also known to be killed illegally. The extent of illegal badger killing is currently unknown. Herein we report on the application of three innovative techniques (Randomized Response Technique (RRT); projective questioning (PQ); brief implicit association test (BIAT)) for investigating illegal badger killing by livestock farmers across Wales. RRT estimated that 10.4% of farmers killed badgers in the 12 months preceding the study. Projective questioning responses and implicit associations relate to farmers' badger killing behavior reported via RRT. Studies evaluating the efficacy of mammal vector culling and vaccination programs should incorporate estimates of non-compliance. Mitigating the conflict concerning badgers as a vector of bTB requires cross-disciplinary scientific research, departure from deep-rooted positions, and the political will to implement evidence-based management. PMID:23341973

Innovative techniques for estimating illegal activities in a human-wildlife-management conflict.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul Cross

Full Text Available Effective management of biological resources is contingent upon stakeholder compliance with rules. With respect to disease management, partial compliance can undermine attempts to control diseases within human and wildlife populations. Estimating non-compliance is notoriously problematic as rule-breakers may be disinclined to admit to transgressions. However, reliable estimates of rule-breaking are critical to policy design. The European badger (Meles meles is considered an important vector in the transmission and maintenance of bovine tuberculosis (bTB in cattle herds. Land managers in high bTB prevalence areas of the UK can cull badgers under license. However, badgers are also known to be killed illegally. The extent of illegal badger killing is currently unknown. Herein we report on the application of three innovative techniques (Randomized Response Technique (RRT; projective questioning (PQ; brief implicit association test (BIAT for investigating illegal badger killing by livestock farmers across Wales. RRT estimated that 10.4% of farmers killed badgers in the 12 months preceding the study. Projective questioning responses and implicit associations relate to farmers' badger killing behavior reported via RRT. Studies evaluating the efficacy of mammal vector culling and vaccination programs should incorporate estimates of non-compliance. Mitigating the conflict concerning badgers as a vector of bTB requires cross-disciplinary scientific research, departure from deep-rooted positions, and the political will to implement evidence-based management.

Innovative techniques for estimating illegal activities in a human-wildlife-management conflict.

Science.gov (United States)

Cross, Paul; St John, Freya A V; Khan, Saira; Petroczi, Andrea

2013-01-01

Effective management of biological resources is contingent upon stakeholder compliance with rules. With respect to disease management, partial compliance can undermine attempts to control diseases within human and wildlife populations. Estimating non-compliance is notoriously problematic as rule-breakers may be disinclined to admit to transgressions. However, reliable estimates of rule-breaking are critical to policy design. The European badger (Meles meles) is considered an important vector in the transmission and maintenance of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle herds. Land managers in high bTB prevalence areas of the UK can cull badgers under license. However, badgers are also known to be killed illegally. The extent of illegal badger killing is currently unknown. Herein we report on the application of three innovative techniques (Randomized Response Technique (RRT); projective questioning (PQ); brief implicit association test (BIAT)) for investigating illegal badger killing by livestock farmers across Wales. RRT estimated that 10.4% of farmers killed badgers in the 12 months preceding the study. Projective questioning responses and implicit associations relate to farmers' badger killing behavior reported via RRT. Studies evaluating the efficacy of mammal vector culling and vaccination programs should incorporate estimates of non-compliance. Mitigating the conflict concerning badgers as a vector of bTB requires cross-disciplinary scientific research, departure from deep-rooted positions, and the political will to implement evidence-based management.

An assessment of illegal fishing in Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gandiwa, E.; Zisadza-Gandiwa, P.; Mutandwa, M.; Sandram, S.

2012-01-01

Illegal fishing is a worldwide problem. In this study we present the first assessment of illegal fishing in Gonarezhou National Park (GNP), Zimbabwe. Information on illegal fishing was gathered from a total of 39 illegal fishers who were arrested within GNP between February and October 2011. Data

An exploratory study of illegal gamblers in Hong Kong

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Tessler

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract This study investigates the nature and behaviour of illegal gamblers in Hong Kong. A face-to-face street survey of 512 gamblers was conducted in Hong Kong between September and December 2015 with supplementary convenience sampling allowing for analysis of a total sample of 103 illegal gamblers. 56% of illegal gamblers recorded results consistent with this study’s definition of ‘excessive gambling’ [i.e. moderate risk and problem gamblers under the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI]. 81% of surveyed illegal gamblers were male, 77% were aged between 30 and 49 and 67% were in blue collar occupations. Illegal gamblers bet more frequently on both legal and illegal games than their legal counterparts and spent more when they did bet. While this research did not indicate the direction of causality between illegal and excessive gambling, international work (de Bruin et al. in verslingerd aan meer dan een spel: Een onderzoek naar de aard en omvang van kansspelproblematiek in Nederland, WODC/CVO, Utrecht, http://www.lexandgaming.eu/nl/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Verslingerd-aan-meer-dan-een-spel.pdf , 2005; Binde in What are the most harmful forms of gambling? Analysing problem gambling prevalence surveys, http://www.utbildning.gu.se/digitalAssets/1327/1327132_cefos-wp12.pdf , 2011 suggests that excessive gamblers are drawn to illegal gambling. Reform could allow excessive gambling by illegal gamblers to be better addressed and initial work suggests some financial benefits to Hong Kong.

Researching illegal logging and deforestation

OpenAIRE

Boekhout van Solinge, T.

2014-01-01

Tropical deforestation such as in the Amazon can be studied well from a green criminological perspective. Ethnographic research methods form a useful way to get insight into the dynamics and complexity of tropical deforestation, which often is illegal. This article gives an account of various ethnographic visits to the rainforests of the Amazon in the period 2003-2014. Ethnographic methods provide insight into the overlap between the legal and illegal, the functioning (or not) of state instit...

Judgments about illegal performance-enhancing substances: reasoned, reactive, or both?

Science.gov (United States)

Dodge, Tonya; Stock, Michelle; Litt, Dana

2013-07-01

This study applied aspects of the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Prototype/Willingness model to understand cognitions associated with the use of illegal performance-enhancing substances. There were two study objectives. One was to investigate whether the illegal-is-effective heuristic (i.e. belief that illegal performance-enhancing substances are more effective than legal performance-enhancing substances) affects willingness to use illegal performance-enhancing substances. The second was to examine whether attitudes, norms, and prototypes influence the willingness and intentions to use illegal performance-enhancing substances. The illegal-is-effective heuristic was a significant predictor of willingness but was not a significant predictor of intentions. Implications for future research and prevention efforts are discussed.

Using Poaching Levels and Elephant Distribution to Assess the Conservation Efficacy of Private, Communal and Government Land in Northern Kenya.

Science.gov (United States)

Ihwagi, Festus W; Wang, Tiejun; Wittemyer, George; Skidmore, Andrew K; Toxopeus, Albertus G; Ngene, Shadrack; King, Juliet; Worden, Jeffrey; Omondi, Patrick; Douglas-Hamilton, Iain

2015-01-01

Efforts to curb elephant poaching have focused on reducing demand, confiscating ivory and boosting security patrols in elephant range. Where land is under multiple uses and ownership, determining the local poaching dynamics is important for identifying successful conservation models. Using 2,403 verified elephant, Loxodonta africana, mortality records collected from 2002 to 2012 and the results of aerial total counts of elephants conducted in 2002, 2008 and 2012 for the Laikipia-Samburu ecosystem of northern Kenya, we sought to determine the influence of land ownership and use on diurnal elephant distribution and on poaching levels. We show that the annual proportions of illegally killed (i.e., poached) elephants increased over the 11 years of the study, peaking at 70% of all recorded deaths in 2012. The type of land use was more strongly related to levels of poaching than was the type of ownership. Private ranches, comprising only 13% of land area, hosted almost half of the elephant population and had significantly lower levels of poaching than other land use types except for the officially designated national reserves (covering only 1.6% of elephant range in the ecosystem). Communal grazing lands hosted significantly fewer elephants than expected, but community areas set aside for wildlife demonstrated significantly higher numbers of elephants and lower illegal killing levels relative to non-designated community lands. While private lands had lower illegal killing levels than community conservancies, the success of the latter relative to other community-held lands shows the importance of this model of land use for conservation. This work highlights the relationship between illegal killing and various land ownership and use models, which can help focus anti-poaching activities.

26 CFR 1.162-18 - Illegal bribes and kickbacks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... bribe (whether or not illegal) made on or after December 10, 1971, by any provider of services, supplier... 26 Internal Revenue 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Illegal bribes and kickbacks. 1.162-18 Section 1... bribes and kickbacks. (a) Illegal payments to government officials or employees—(1) In general. No...

ILLEGAL MIGRATION-CONCEPTUAL DELIMITATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CRISTINA FLORINA POPESCU (PANAIT

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Illegal migration is a mobile phenomenon, which ignores national borders, a threat that originates outside the community and extends to Western societies. This phenomenon is becoming larger and irregular migrants are often in a precarious situation and exposed to the criminals involved in various manifestations of organized crime. The future risk factors of the illegal migration are the demographic bomb, because the population is decreasing in European countries and increasing rapidly in poorer countries, droughts, floods, deforestation, that cause conflicts between climate refugees , extreme poverty, totalitarian regimes, epidemics, can trigger millions of people, the elderly and the working population imbalance which leads to the permanent import of immigrants To combat this phenomenon, states must engage and cooperate with each other. Measures taken by states must balance their integration policy for immigrants, legally residents and asylum policy to comply with international conventions. Also, states must adopt anti-immigrant policies, consisting of subordination visa policy to the interests of international security and exchange of information and, not least, to continue the Schengen process, as a value of humanitarian law applied in the field. The aim of the research is to characterize this dangerous phenomenon for the society and the goal is to identify strategies to combat illegal migration.

International movements, post-apartheid dispensations and illegal immigration into South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kambidima Wotela

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Arising from the supposed negative impact of illegal immigration, including security threats as well as recent xenophobic violence, the South African Government would like to counter illegal immigration. To do this, it needs to understand the root causes of illegal immigration into the country. This article, therefore, seeks to explain and interpret why illegal immigrants make South Africa their ideal choice of destination. To provide a context, the article begins with a discussion on the research setting, that is, the South African international boundaries. Thereafter, the article discusses the concept of illegal immigration from the South African context before reviewing literature on the number of illegal immigrants in South Africa and the supposed impact. The article then explores literature on international movements and discusses established migration frameworks that explain and interpret these movements. Lastly, to confirm some facts arising from the review, we interviewed officials that manage illegal immigration as well as detained immigrants. We establish that four migration streams that have created a blended society in Southern Africa sparked illegal immigration into South Africa. The article conclude that the problem of illegal immigration into South Africa is perpetuated by deep-rooted migration networks. Therefore, if the South African Government wants to avert illegal immigration, its policy-makers should examine these roots and take them into account to arrive at a solution that is in sync with the root causes of the problem.

Illegal killing for ivory drives global decline in African elephants.

Science.gov (United States)

Wittemyer, George; Northrup, Joseph M; Blanc, Julian; Douglas-Hamilton, Iain; Omondi, Patrick; Burnham, Kenneth P

2014-09-09

Illegal wildlife trade has reached alarming levels globally, extirpating populations of commercially valuable species. As a driver of biodiversity loss, quantifying illegal harvest is essential for conservation and sociopolitical affairs but notoriously difficult. Here we combine field-based carcass monitoring with fine-scale demographic data from an intensively studied wild African elephant population in Samburu, Kenya, to partition mortality into natural and illegal causes. We then expand our analytical framework to model illegal killing rates and population trends of elephants at regional and continental scales using carcass data collected by a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species program. At the intensively monitored site, illegal killing increased markedly after 2008 and was correlated strongly with the local black market ivory price and increased seizures of ivory destined for China. More broadly, results from application to continental data indicated illegal killing levels were unsustainable for the species between 2010 and 2012, peaking to ∼ 8% in 2011 which extrapolates to ∼ 40,000 elephants illegally killed and a probable species reduction of ∼ 3% that year. Preliminary data from 2013 indicate overharvesting continued. In contrast to the rest of Africa, our analysis corroborates that Central African forest elephants experienced decline throughout the last decade. These results provide the most comprehensive assessment of illegal ivory harvest to date and confirm that current ivory consumption is not sustainable. Further, our approach provides a powerful basis to determine cryptic mortality and gain understanding of the demography of at-risk species.

Illegal markets, human trade and transnational organised crime

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikolić-Ristanović Vesna Ž.

2003-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper the author explores, focusing largely on the example of the Balkans, the connection between the expansion of neoliberal market economy and war, and related to it the growth of illegal markets and the shadow economy, on one hand, and the victimisation by human trafficking, on the other. By locating human trade within expanding local and global illegal markets, the author is arguing that, without taking into consideration wider social contexts, which create structural incentives for illegal markets and transnational organised crime, we can hardly understand the causes, let alone build effective strategies to combat and prevent it. Consequently, on the basis of the analyses of human trade as a form of both transnational organised crime and illegal markets, some strategies (short-term and long-term for the prevention and control of human trafficking on both the micro and macro level are suggested.

Economic incentives exist to support measures to reduce illegal logging

Science.gov (United States)

J.A. Turner; J. Buongiorno; A. Katz; S. Zhu; R. Li

2008-01-01

Three studies of the global economic implications of eliminating illegal logging are summarized. Processors of illegally sourced wood would lose from the elimination of illegal logging through high prices for logs and decreased production of wood products. Associated with these changes could be losses in employment and income. Beyond these losses to the processing...

Non-sanctioning of illegal tackles in South African youth community rugby.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, J C; Boucher, S J; Lambert, M; Viljoen, W; Readhead, C; Hendricks, S; Kraak, W J

2018-06-01

The tackle event in rugby union ('rugby') contributes to the majority of players' injuries. Referees can reduce this risk by sanctioning dangerous tackles. A study in elite adult rugby suggests that referees only sanction a minority of illegal tackles. The aim of this study was to assess if this finding was similar in youth community rugby. Observational study. Using EncodePro, 99 South African Rugby Union U18 Youth Week tournament matches were coded between 2011 and 2015. All tackles were coded by a researcher and an international referee to ensure that laws were interpreted correctly. The inter- and intra-rater reliabilities were 0.97-1.00. A regression analysis compared the non-sanctioned rates over time. In total, 12 216 tackles were coded, of which less than 1% (n=113) were 'illegal'. The majority of the 113 illegal tackles were front-on (75%), high tackles (72%) and occurred in the 2nd/4th quarters (29% each). Of the illegal tackles, only 59% were sanctioned. The proportions of illegal tackles and sanctioning of these illegal tackles to all tackles improved by 0.2% per year from 2011-2015 (p<0.05). In these youth community rugby players, 59% of illegal tackles were not sanctioned appropriately. This was better than a previous study in elite adult rugby, where only 7% of illegal tackles were penalised. Moreover, the rates of illegal tackles and non-sanctioned illegal tackles both improved over time. However, it is critical that referees consistently enforce all laws to enhance injury prevention efforts. Further studies should investigate the reasons for non-sanctioning. Copyright © 2017 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Value Added Tax Implications of Illegal Transactions | van Zyl ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article explores whether or not the decision in the MP Finance-case (and preceding cases on the taxation of illegal receipts) can be applied to determine if illegal transactions are subject to VAT and moreover if a trader in illegal goods and services should register as a VAT vendor. Although strictly speaking no analogy ...

On the Macroeconomic and Welfare Effects of Illegal Immigration

OpenAIRE

Liu, Xiangbo

2009-01-01

This paper investigates the macroeconomic and welfare effects of illegal immigration on the native born within a dynamic general equilibrium framework with labor market frictions. A key feature of the model is that job competition is allowed for between domestic workers and illegal immigrants. We calibrate the model to match some key statistics of the postwar U.S. economy. The model predicts that in the long run illegal immigration is a boon, but the employment opportunities of domestic wo...

Illegal "no prescription" internet access to narrow therapeutic index drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Bryan A; Mackey, Tim K; Lovett, Kimberly M

2013-05-01

Narrow therapeutic index (NTI) drugs, because of proximity of therapeutic amounts to toxic amounts, require close professional oversight, particularly when switching formulations. However, safe use may be compromised by unsupervised switching through access to online "no prescription" Web sites. We assessed no prescription online availability of NTI drugs, using an academically published list (core NTI drugs). Using the Google search term "buy DRUG no prescription," we reviewed the first 5 search result pages for marketing of no prescription NTI drugs. We further assessed if National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) Not Recommended vendors were marketing NTI drugs. Searches were conducted from November 3, 2012 to January 3, 2013. For core NTI drugs, we found 13 of 14 NTI drugs (92%) marketed as available without prescription, all from NABP Not Recommended vendors. On the basis of these initial findings, we expanded our core list to 12 additional NTI drugs; 11 of 12 of these drugs (92%) were available from no prescription Web sites. Overall, 24 of 26 NTI drugs (92%) were illegally marketed as available online without the need for a prescription. Suspect online NTI drug access from no prescription vendors represents a significant patient safety risk because of potential patient drug switching and risk of counterfeit versions. Further, state health care exchanges with coverage limitations may drive patients to seek formulations online. Food and Drug Administration harmonization with tighter international NTI drug standards should be considered, and aggressive action against suspect online marketers should be a regulatory and public health priority. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.

Exploring differences among illegal activities in the Ugalla Game ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Exploring differences among illegal activities in the Ugalla Game Reserve of ... This study aimed to explore the differences among various illegal activities occurring in Ugalla Game Reserve, western Tanzania. ... AJOL African Journals Online.

49 CFR 28.131 - Illegal use of drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Illegal use of drugs. 28.131 Section 28.131 Transportation Office of the Secretary of Transportation ENFORCEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF HANDICAP IN PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION § 28.131 Illegal use of...

Perception of illegal practice of medicine by Brazilian medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

Lins, Liliane; Herbas, Suzana; Lisboa, Larissa; Damasceno, Hannah; Menezes, Marta

2014-06-01

Illegal practice of medicine by medical students is a worldwide problem. In Brazil, information about this issue is scarce. To describe the perception of illegal practice of medicine by medical students. A cross-sectional study in a stratified random sample of 130 medical students in the 6th to 12th semesters from a private faculty of medicine in Salvador, State of Bahia, Brazil, from September to October 2011. Students responded to a standardised questionnaire about the illegal practice of medicine by medical students. Knowing medical students who practised medical activities without supervision was reported by 86% of the respondents, and 93.8% had heard about someone who performed such practices. Medical specialties most often associated with illegal practice were general medicine (78.8%) and occupational health (55.9%). Illegal practice of medicine was more common in peripheral cities/towns (83.9%) than in the State capital, Salvador City (52.4%). Only 10.5% of illegal activities were reported to the authorities. Unsupervised medical practice was more often reported in the 8th-9th semester (56.8%) and 10th-11th semester (54.4%) of medical school. Illegal practice of medicine was commonly reported by the medical students questioned. The high frequency of reported illegal practice for financial reasons highlights the need for greater availability of paid internships for medical students. Educational institutions represent the social control responsible for supervising the activities of academics. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

environmental impact of illegal refineries on the vegetation

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dr. O. M. Adesope

impact of illegal oil refineries in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, the floristic composition of the fresh water swamp forest at refining sites in two river systems and a brackish ... ecosystem of Rivers State, five species of Mangroves and two species of ... Visual observation was made along the Rivers to identify illegal refinery stations.

Illegible handwriting and other prescription errors on prescriptions at ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

H. Brits

Background: It is generally accepted that doctors have illegible handwriting. The writer usually ... the text.2 The following quote stresses the problem with illegible ... to determine which group of health care workers (HCWs) could read the ...

ABORTION IN BRAZIL: IMPACTS OF ILLEGALITY IN PUBLIC HEALTH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vanessa Cruz Santos

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Abortion in Brazil provides public health impacts, mainly due to the high rate of maternal morbidity and mortality, because it most often occurs in an illegal practice and / or unsafe, because of the illegality of abortion in certain situations in the country. Therefore, it is an issue that refers to the various reflections, such as legal, moral, cultural, socio-economic and bioethical. Given the above, the study aims to address about abortion in Brazil and the impacts of illegality in public health. Study of literature review, descriptive and discursive, held in the database SciELO sites and governmental and non-governmental organizations. It was evident that the illegality of abortion in Brazil is harmful to the health of women who resort to unsafe practices and / or illegal, a violation of human rights, the women’s autonomy, as well as providing public health impacts, and sometimes this actually happens because the deficit in quality of care, specifically to sexual and reproductive health, as the actions of Family Planning. It is considered that the way of abortion in Brazil requires modifications, especially with regard to legislative and bioethics conflicts.

The disciplining of illegal palm oil plantations in Sumatra

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pramudya, Eusebius Pantja; Hospes, Otto; Termeer, C.J.A.M.

2018-01-01

The Indonesian state has issued many regulations to control palm oil expansion, but they have been weakly enforced, resulting in widespread illegal plantations. During the last decade, Indonesian authorities have used force to reduce illegal plantations. This article analyses the drivers behind

Injury Patterns Among Illegal Migrants from Africa in Israel.

Science.gov (United States)

Perlman, Amotz; Radomislensky, Irina; Peleg, Kobi

2015-08-01

In recent years Israel has become a destination for many migrants from Africa that illegally cross the Egyptian-Israeli border. The objective of this paper is to describe the epidemiological characteristics of injuries among illegal migrants in Israel. The study was carried out retrospectively using data from 19 trauma centers that participated in the Israel National Trauma Registry between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2011. Illegal migrants from Africa were compared to the local population. Migrants were injured more often than the local population from intentional injuries (57.11 %). Migrants were also less likely than the local population (58.38 %) to sustain a minor injury (i.e., injury severity ≤8). The study also shows the hospitalization cost as a result of injuries among migrants from Africa. Preventive measures among illegal migrants from Africa should prioritize intentional injuries and industrial site injuries.

Illegal deforestation in Zambia

OpenAIRE

Travis, A.J.

2005-01-01

Dr. Dale Lewis, a co-PI on the grant and the originator of the COMACO model, points out recent illegal deforestation in one of Zambia's National Forests to Dr. Alfonso Torres, another co-PI on the grant (from Cornell). LTRA-2 (An Agricultural Markets Model for Biodiversity Conservation)

Interpreting the empirical evidence on illegal gun market dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Braga, Anthony A; Wintemute, Garen J; Pierce, Glenn L; Cook, Philip J; Ridgeway, Greg

2012-10-01

Thousands of Americans are killed by gunfire each year, and hundreds of thousands more are injured or threatened with guns in robberies and assaults. The burden of gun violence in urban areas is particularly high. Critics suggest that the results of firearm trace data and gun trafficking investigation studies cannot be used to understand the illegal supply of guns to criminals and, therefore, that regulatory and enforcement efforts designed to disrupt illegal firearms markets are futile in addressing criminal access to firearms. In this paper, we present new data to address three key arguments used by skeptics to undermine research on illegal gun market dynamics. We find that criminals rely upon a diverse set of illegal diversion pathways to acquire guns, gun traffickers usually divert small numbers of guns, newer guns are diverted through close-to-retail diversions from legal firearms commerce, and that a diverse set of gun trafficking indicators are needed to identify and shut down gun trafficking pathways.

Twitter-Based Detection of Illegal Online Sale of Prescription Opioid.

Science.gov (United States)

Mackey, Tim K; Kalyanam, Janani; Katsuki, Takeo; Lanckriet, Gert

2017-12-01

To deploy a methodology accurately identifying tweets marketing the illegal online sale of controlled substances. We first collected tweets from the Twitter public application program interface stream filtered for prescription opioid keywords. We then used unsupervised machine learning (specifically, topic modeling) to identify topics associated with illegal online marketing and sales. Finally, we conducted Web forensic analyses to characterize different types of online vendors. We analyzed 619 937 tweets containing the keywords codeine, Percocet, fentanyl, Vicodin, Oxycontin, oxycodone, and hydrocodone over a 5-month period from June to November 2015. A total of 1778 tweets (marketing the sale of controlled substances online; 90% had imbedded hyperlinks, but only 46 were "live" at the time of the evaluation. Seven distinct URLs linked to Web sites marketing or illegally selling controlled substances online. Our methodology can identify illegal online sale of prescription opioids from large volumes of tweets. Our results indicate that controlled substances are trafficked online via different strategies and vendors. Public Health Implications. Our methodology can be used to identify illegal online sellers in criminal violation of the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act.

Effect of illegal on-street parking on travel times in urban environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morillo Carbonell, C.; Magin Campos Cacheda, J.

2016-07-01

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effect of the on-street illegal parking on the commercial travel time of the vehicles in the area. The effect of the illegal parking in the travel time of the vehicles in the zone is analyzed in an urban scenario in order to quantify the negative impact that illegal parking implies to this, by itself, congested areas. To achieve the objective of the paper, a 3x3 street model has been designed and evaluated for different situations. In this sense, based on a traffic microsimulation model a bunch of scenarios have been considered in function of parameters referred to intensity of vehicles, illegal on street parking level and location of the illegals. Based on the scenarios mentioned, it has been analyzed the effect that the different parameters have on the commercial speed of the vehicles in order to have a first set of information that permits how to act to reduce the effect of illegal on street parking. The results obtained in this article will be able to be used in next steps in order to define direct and indirect reduction strategies referred to illegal on street parking effect. (Author)

Toward a new understanding of the links between poverty and illegal wildlife hunting.

Science.gov (United States)

Duffy, Rosaleen; St John, Freya A V; Büscher, Bram; Brockington, Dan

2016-02-01

Conservation organizations have increasingly raised concerns about escalating rates of illegal hunting and trade in wildlife. Previous studies have concluded that people hunt illegally because they are financially poor or lack alternative livelihood strategies. However, there has been little attempt to develop a richer understanding of the motivations behind contemporary illegal wildlife hunting. As a first step, we reviewed the academic and policy literatures on poaching and illegal wildlife use and considered the meanings of poverty and the relative importance of structure and individual agency. We placed motivations for illegal wildlife hunting within the context of the complex history of how wildlife laws were initially designed and enforced to indicate how hunting practices by specific communities were criminalized. We also considered the nature of poverty and the reasons for economic deprivation in particular communities to indicate how particular understandings of poverty as material deprivation ultimately shape approaches to illegal wildlife hunting. We found there is a need for a much better understanding of what poverty is and what motivates people to hunt illegally. © 2015 Society for Conservation Biology.

Creation and demolition of illegal structures in Nigerian cities ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The paper examined the issue of demolition of illegal structures in Benin City. The study revealed that the poor economic condition of the country forced many landlords in the city to restructure and convert their houses into mixed uses in order to make a living. In the process many illegal structures sprang up as many ...

Illegality of international population movements in Poland.

Science.gov (United States)

Okolski, M

2000-01-01

Until the beginning of the 1990s Poland did not receive foreign migrants. Thereafter, the situation changed dramatically. A large part of the inflow proved to be illegal migrants, many of whom were in transit to Western Europe. Although these movements gradually declined in the second half of the decade, some became increasingly identified with relatively sophisticated smuggling of people. Foreigners smuggled from the South to the West, together with the international criminal networks assisting them, became typical of the migratory movements of people in Central and Eastern Europe during the 1990s. This article seeks to describe illegal migration from the perspective of Poland, a country often perceived as a major transit area in the smuggling of persons to Western Europe. The conclusions draw on the findings of several surveys recently carried out in Poland. Basic concepts related to illegal migration are defined and juxtaposed, and various myths and stereotypes concerning it that most often stem from the paucity of empirical evidence are examined. Finally, the trends observed in Poland are interpreted within the larger context of contemporary European migration.

Illegal use of natural resources in federal protected areas of the Brazilian Amazon.

Science.gov (United States)

Kauano, Érico E; Silva, Jose M C; Michalski, Fernanda

2017-01-01

The Brazilian Amazon is the world's largest rainforest regions and plays a key role in biodiversity conservation as well as climate adaptation and mitigation. The government has created a network of protected areas (PAs) to ensure long-term conservation of the region. However, despite the importance of and positive advances in the establishment of PAs, natural resource depletion in the Brazilian Amazon is pervasive. We evaluated a total of 4,243 official law enforcement records generated between 2010 and 2015 to understand the geographical distribution of the illegal use of resources in federal PAs in the Brazilian Amazon. We classified illegal activities into ten categories and used generalized additive models (GAMs) to evaluate the relationship between illegal use of natural resources inside PAs with management type, age of PAs, population density, and accessibility. We found 27 types of illegal use of natural resources that were grouped into 10 categories of illegal activities. Most infractions were related to suppression and degradation of vegetation (37.40%), followed by illegal fishing (27.30%) and hunting activities (18.20%). The explanatory power of the GAMs was low for all categories of illegal activity, with a maximum explained variation of 41.2% for illegal activities as a whole, and a minimum of 14.6% for hunting activities. These findings demonstrate that even though PAs are fundamental for nature conservation in the Brazilian Amazon, the pressures and threats posed by human activities include a broad range of illegal uses of natural resources. Population density up to 50 km from a PA is a key variable, influencing illegal activities. These threats endanger long-term conservation and many efforts are still needed to maintain PAs that are large enough and sufficiently intact to maintain ecosystem functions and protect biodiversity.

Reducing the illegal sale of cigarettes to minors.

Science.gov (United States)

Altman, D G; Foster, V; Rasenick-Douss, L; Tye, J B

1989-01-06

This study reports on an effort to stop the illegal sale of cigarettes to minors. In Santa Clara County, Calif, 412 stores and 30 vending machines were visited by 18 minors aged 14 through 16 years with the intent to purchase cigarettes; they were successful at 74% of the stores and 100% of the vending machines. After an aggressive six-month campaign using communitywide media, direct merchant education, contact with the chief executive officers of chain stores and franchise operations owned by major companies, and grassroots work with community organizations, the percentage of stores with illegal over-the-counter sale of cigarettes to minors was reduced to 39%. Sales from vending machines were not reduced. While much remains to be accomplished in stopping the illegal sale of tobacco to minors, data from this study illustrate that a well-designed community and merchant education campaign can significantly reduce such sales.

[Smuggling of illegal drugs by body suffers].

Science.gov (United States)

Aksnes, Tonje Amb; Jacobsen, Dag

2004-07-01

Body packers are persons who smuggle illegal drugs by swallowing condoms or plastic cylinders containing such substances. Body stuffers are drug dealers or drug abusers who swallow illegal drugs in an effort to conceal evidence during an arrest or in fear of being arrested. We report four cases and discuss management. Asymptomatic body packers may be managed conservatively with laxatives and water-soluble contrast medium. This method allows an accurate follow-up with abdominal radiography. If patients develop abdominal pain or signs and symptoms of intoxication, surgical intervention should be considered. Both types of patients should be monitored carefully.

Imperceptible Politics: Illegalized Migrants and Their Struggles for Work and Unionization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Holger Wilcke

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This article argues that illegalized migrants carry the potential for social change not only through their acts of resistance but also in their everyday practices. This is the case despite illegalized migrants being the most disenfranchised subjects produced by the European border regime. In line with Jacques Rancière (1999 these practices can be understood as ‘politics’. For Rancière, becoming a political subject requires visibility, while other scholars (Papadopoulos & Tsianos, 2007; Rygiel, 2011 stress that this is not necessarily the case. They argue that political subjectivity can also be achieved via invisible means; important in this discussion as invisibility is an essential strategy of illegalized migrants. The aim of this article is to resolve this binary and demonstrate, via empirical examples, that the two concepts of visibility and imperceptibility are often intertwined in the messy realities of everyday life. In the first case study, an intervention at the ver.di trade union conference in 2003, analysis reveals that illegalized migrants transformed society in their fight for union membership, but also that their visible campaigning simultaneously comprised strategies of imperceptibility. The second empirical section, which examines the employment stories of illegalized migrants, demonstrates that the everyday practices of illegal work can be understood as ‘imperceptible politics’. The discussion demonstrates that despite the exclusionary mechanisms of the existing social order, illegalized migrants are often able to find work. Thus, they routinely undermine the very foundations of the order that produces their exclusions. I argue that this disruption can be analyzed as migrants’ ‘imperceptible politics’, which in turn can be recognized as migrants’ transformative power.

Researching illegal logging and deforestation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boekhout van Solinge, T.

2014-01-01

Tropical deforestation such as in the Amazon can be studied well from a green criminological perspective. Ethnographic research methods form a useful way to get insight into the dynamics and complexity of tropical deforestation, which often is illegal. This article gives an account of various

THE PROBLEM OF ILLEGAL MIGRATION OF ETHNIC ROHINGYA IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

OpenAIRE

Сомкамнерд, Навапат

2017-01-01

The article is devoted to the problem of illegal migration of ethnic Rohingya in the region of South-East Asia, in some ASEAN countries, especially in Myanmar and Thailand. An overview focuses on the role of Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh and the role of international and regional organizations, especially the role of the UN and ASEAN in resolution of the problem of illegal migration of Rohingya. Particular emphasis is placed on activities of ASEAN and Thailand to tackle the problem of illegal...

36 CFR 1280.20 - What is your policy on illegal drugs and alcohol?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... illegal drugs and alcohol? 1280.20 Section 1280.20 Parks, Forests, and Public Property NATIONAL ARCHIVES... Conduct on NARA Property? Prohibited Activities § 1280.20 What is your policy on illegal drugs and alcohol... property while under the influence of illegal drugs or alcohol. Using alcoholic beverages on NARA property...

Illegal Passive Smoking at Work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

François-Xavier Lesage

2011-01-01

Results. Ninety-five percent of a total group of 172 OP of Champagne county filled the postal questionnaire. More than 80% of OP's replies identified illegal PSW. The average prevalence of PSW exposure was 0.7% of the total working population. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS levels were considered between low and medium for most passive smokers (71%. Main features exposure to ETS at work for non-smokers was associated with female gender (69.5%, age between 40 and 49 years (41.2% and belonging to tertiary sector (75.6%. Environmental tobacco smoke exposures at work was firstly in the office for 49.7% of the subjects and secondly in the restroom for 18% of them. Main medical symptoms encountered by non-smokers were respiratory tractus irritation (81.7%. Eighty-three percent of OPs indicated solution to eradicate PSW. Illegal PSW is really weaker than fifteen years ago. However, the findings support a real ban on smoking in the workplace in order to protect all workers.

Parables and Politics: Clergy Attitudes toward Illegal Immigration in Alabama

Science.gov (United States)

Wickersham, Mary Eleanor

2013-01-01

The passage of a stringent immigration law in Alabama in 2011 makes relevant the juxtaposition of clergy and congregant attitudes and behaviors toward illegal immigrants as related to Biblical teachings that require charity to aliens. In order to examine the relationship between religious attitudes and illegal immigration, approximately 426…

Illegal Migration and the Risks of Terrorism in the Republic of Ingushetia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ахмед Курейшевич Чапанов

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In this article the authors analyze the extent and nature of illegal migration in modern Ingushetia. It noted the relationship of illegal migration and terrorism, proposed a strategy to combat this phenomenon. The authors analyzed the socio-political problems arising from uncontrolled migration flows into the country. In recent years, illegal migration in the Republic of Ingushetia has become a frequent phenomenon. Illegal migration is a real threat to regional and national security of the Russian Federation. The authors propose the concept that migration policy should be guided first and foremost the interests of national security, preservation of socio-political stability and the integrity of the territory of the Russian Federation. In this regard, it is crucial interaction of state and law enforcement agencies of all the countries involved: the outcome of, and transit of illegal migrants settling. The current socio-political conditions of life of the Ingush society, increased uncontrolled migration, national security require a tightening of migration policy.

Analysis of methanol and its derivatives in illegally produced alcoholic beverages.

Science.gov (United States)

Arslan, M Mustafa; Zeren, Cem; Aydin, Zeki; Akcan, Ramazan; Dokuyucu, Recep; Keten, Alper; Cekin, Necmi

2015-07-01

Illegal alcohol production remains as a common issue worldwide. Methanol poisoning mostly occurs because of the methanol used in production of counterfeit alcohol instead of ethyl alcohol due to its low price or by drinking the liquids containing methyl alcohol. Pectolytic enzymes results in an increase of methanol levels in many fermentation products such as ciders or wines. Methanol poisonings are infrequently encountered in forensic medicine practice. However, sporadic cases due to methanol intoxication as well as epidemic cases have been reported. In this study, we aimed to identify existence of methanol and its metabolites in illegally produced alcoholic beverages used in Antakya region. Twelve legally produced alcohol samples and Fifty-six different illegally produced alcohol samples were collected from the markets and local producers. Existence of methanol, formic acid, methyl amine, methyl formate and trioxan were determined using GC-MS method in these samples. Fifty-six different illegal alcohol samples were analyzed in this study and methanol was detected in 39 (75%) of samples. Formic acid was detected in 3, formamide in 1, methyl amine in 6, methyl formate in 10 and trioxan in 2 samples. Overwhelming majority of illegal alcoholic beverages was detected to contain methanol. Interestingly this study also revealed the presence of trioxane, which has not previously reported among toxic agents in illegal alcohol samples. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Spatiotemporal trends of illegal activities from ranger-collected data in a Ugandan national park.

Science.gov (United States)

Critchlow, R; Plumptre, A J; Driciru, M; Rwetsiba, A; Stokes, E J; Tumwesigye, C; Wanyama, F; Beale, C M

2015-10-01

Within protected areas, biodiversity loss is often a consequence of illegal resource use. Understanding the patterns and extent of illegal activities is therefore essential for effective law enforcement and prevention of biodiversity declines. We used extensive data, commonly collected by ranger patrols in many protected areas, and Bayesian hierarchical models to identify drivers, trends, and distribution of multiple illegal activities within the Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area (QECA), Uganda. Encroachment (e.g., by pastoralists with cattle) and poaching of noncommercial animals (e.g., snaring bushmeat) were the most prevalent illegal activities within the QECA. Illegal activities occurred in different areas of the QECA. Poaching of noncommercial animals was most widely distributed within the national park. Overall, ecological covariates, although significant, were not useful predictors for occurrence of illegal activities. Instead, the location of illegal activities in previous years was more important. There were significant increases in encroachment and noncommercial plant harvesting (nontimber products) during the study period (1999-2012). We also found significant spatiotemporal variation in the occurrence of all activities. Our results show the need to explicitly model ranger patrol effort to reduce biases from existing uncorrected or capture per unit effort analyses. Prioritization of ranger patrol strategies is needed to target illegal activities; these strategies are determined by protected area managers, and therefore changes at a site-level can be implemented quickly. These strategies should also be informed by the location of past occurrences of illegal activity: the most useful predictor of future events. However, because spatial and temporal changes in illegal activities occurred, regular patrols throughout the protected area, even in areas of low occurrence, are also required. © 2015 Society for Conservation Biology.

DYNAMICS OF THE ROMANIAN ILLEGAL DRUG MARKETS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irina Caunic

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Globalization has led to an increase in commercial activities running on the illegal markets, its dynamics being largely determined by the balance between profitability and the major risks involved. Revenuesare significant, one example being those obtained from drug industry. In recent years, illicit drug trafficking has seen in Romania an unprecedented escalation, as a result of market liberalization and the movement of per sons and because of the extending the phenomenon both among producers and consumers. This article examines the size of the Romanian illegal drug markets, the countries of origin and drugtransit routes, as well as the profits made by the drug trafficking networks.

Beware of Illegally Marketed Diabetes Treatments

Science.gov (United States)

... Good To Be True? Then it's probably a scam. Watch out for these and similar red flags: " ... at illegal marketing of prescription drugs by fraudulent online pharmacies. Signs that may indicate an online pharmacy ...

Illegal trade of tortoises (Testudinata) in Colombia: A network analysis approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arroyave Bermudez, Felber Jair; Romero Goyeneche, Oscar Yandy; Bonilla Gomez, Maria Argenis; Hurtado Heredia, Rafael German

2014-01-01

The use of wildlife is important for supporting the economic and demographic growth in emerging countries. Nevertheless, the products of wildlife usually come from illegal trade to supply fur, wild meat and pet markets. Illegal trade puts great pressure over wild populations and threats some endangered species. In Colombia, the trade of wildlife is important because of the volumes traded and the cultural and economic connotation of some products. We describe the spatial structure of illegal trade of wildlife at departmental level for the five most traded genera of Colombian tortoises (Trachemys, Chelonoidis, Kinosternon, Podocnemis and Rhinoclemmys). This study is based on the reports of seizures between 2005 and 2009 compiled by the Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo of Colombia. We apply network analysis to study and evidence that the illegal trade network of tortoises includes international markets and supplies the Andean region. The Caribbean, Pacific and Orinoquia regions are the principal suppliers. Quindio, Santander, Antioquia and Putumayo are the biggest jobbers and consumers of wild tortoises. We propose sociocultural and cohercitive actions to fragment the trade network and their illegal market as well as promoting the conservation and sustainable use of tortoises.

24 CFR 982.304 - Illegal discrimination: PHA assistance to family.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... assistance to family. 982.304 Section 982.304 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing... Leasing a Unit § 982.304 Illegal discrimination: PHA assistance to family. A family may claim that illegal... prevents the family from finding or leasing a suitable unit with assistance under the program. The PHA must...

Summarizing the evidence on the international trade in illegal wildlife.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosen, Gail Emilia; Smith, Katherine F

2010-08-01

The global trade in illegal wildlife is a multi-billion dollar industry that threatens biodiversity and acts as a potential avenue for invasive species and disease spread. Despite the broad-sweeping implications of illegal wildlife sales, scientists have yet to describe the scope and scale of the trade. Here, we provide the most thorough and current description of the illegal wildlife trade using 12 years of seizure records compiled by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network. These records comprise 967 seizures including massive quantities of ivory, tiger skins, live reptiles, and other endangered wildlife and wildlife products. Most seizures originate in Southeast Asia, a recently identified hotspot for future emerging infectious diseases. To date, regulation and enforcement have been insufficient to effectively control the global trade in illegal wildlife at national and international scales. Effective control will require a multi-pronged approach including community-scale education and empowering local people to value wildlife, coordinated international regulation, and a greater allocation of national resources to on-the-ground enforcement.

Corruption within the Illegal Wildlife Trade : A symbiotic and Antithetical Enterprise

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Uhm, D.P.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/380477025; Moreto, William D.

2017-01-01

This study focuses on the role of corruption in facilitating the illegal wildlife trade. This research attempts to contribute to the literature by disentangling the existence, influence and nested nature of corruption within the illegal wildlife trade based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in

Illegal Migration and Human Smuggling in Central and Eastern Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Futo

2005-06-01

Full Text Available The analytical and statistical services of border management organizations in Central and Eastern European countries have registered and accumulated a vast body of knowledge on the demographics and mechanisms of illegal migration over the last one-and-a-half decade. This paper attempts to tap this resource by summarising the results of a yearly survey among border guards of 17 countries. A set of quantitative indicators of illegal migration is developed, presented and interpreted, based on the answers of the border services to a series of quantitative and qualitative questions. This empirical material is used to evaluate the dynamics and pattern of illegal migration in Central and Eastern Europe on the one hand, and to examine the development of border management strategies on the other. The impacts of legal and institutional reforms are investigated in light of the temporal and spatial variations of border apprehension statistics. The interdependence of the two processes is reviewed from the point of view of national border management authorities, perhaps the most authoritative source of information on the issue. The results of the authors’ annual survey indicate that the progressive development of migration control mechanisms at national and international levels seems to have a significant impact on irregular migration flows as most indicators of illegal migration have significantly decreased after the turn of the century. At the same time, the geographical distribution of illegal migration flows in Central and Eastern European countries has become more complex over the years.

The Mexican "Illegal Alien" Commute.

Science.gov (United States)

Decker, Phil

1986-01-01

A photo report of the following three treks by illegal aliens across the border from Mexico to work in Arizona reveals the dangers and disappointments the migrants are exposed to: (1) a "carpool" from Southern Mexico; (2) a train ride from Sinaloa; and (3) a 40-mile hike through the Arizona desert. (PS)

Legal Drugs Are Good Drugs And Illegal Drugs Are Bad Drugs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dina Indrati

2011-07-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT : Labelling drugs are important issue nowadays in a modern society. Although it is generally believed that legal drugs are good drugs and illegal drugs are bad drugs, it is evident that some people do not aware about the side effects of drugs used. Therefore, a key contention of this philosophical essay is that explores harms minimisation policy, discuss whether legal drugs are good drugs and illegal drugs are bad drugs and explores relation of drugs misuse in a psychiatric nursing setting and dual diagnosis.Key words: Legal, good drugs, illegal, bad drugs.

[Legal and illegal abortion in Switzerland].

Science.gov (United States)

Stamm, H

1970-01-01

Aspects of legal and illegal abortion in Switzerland are discussed. About 110,000 births, 25,000 therapeutic abortions (75% for psychiatric indications) and an estimated 50,000 illegal abortions occur annually in Switzerland. Although the mortality and morbidity of therapeutic aborti on are similar to those of normal births (1.4 per 1000 and 11%, respectively) the mortality and morbidity of criminal abortions are far greater (3 per 1000 and 73%, respectively). In the author's view, too strict an interpretatiok of Swiss abortion law (which permits abortion to avoid serious harm to the mother's health) does not take into account the severe and lasting emotional and psychological damage which may be caused by unwanted pregnancy, birth, and childraising. In the present social situation, the social and psychological support required by these women is not available; until it is, abortion is to be preferred.

Narrating Illegal Logging Across the Globe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Winkel, Georg; Leipold, Sina; Buhmann, Karin

2017-01-01

In the last decade illegal logging has triggered the attention of policy makers and scholars of international forest governance. The issue is multifaceted, involving aspects of social and environmental sustainability, development, trade, access to markets and competitiveness. A vivid academic deb...

Researching Illegal Logging and Deforestation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tim Boekhout van Solinge

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Tropical deforestation such as in the Amazon can be studied well from a green criminological perspective. Ethnographic research methods form a useful way to get insight into the dynamics and complexity of tropical deforestation, which often is illegal. This article gives an account of various ethnographic visits to the rainforests of the Amazon in the period 2003-2014. Ethnographic methods provide insight into the overlap between the legal and illegal, the functioning (or not of state institutions, the power of (corporate lobbies, and why tropical deforestation correlates with crimes such as corruption and violence. The use of ethnographic methods in forest areas where trustworthy state actors and institutions are not very present can also present danger and raise ethical issues (such as when the researcher, for reasons of safety, does not present as a criminological researcher. However, a large advantage of ethnographic visits to tropical rainforests is that they allow the gathering of local views and voices, which rarely reach the international level. These local views lead to interesting contradictions at the international level where corporate views and lobbies dominate.

Feasibility of abdominal plain film images in evaluation suspected drug smuggler

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sormaala, Markus J.; Salonen, Hanna-Mari; Mattila, Ville M.; Kivisaari, Arto; Autti, Taina

2012-01-01

Objective: Drug smuggling in the gastrointestinal tract has soared within the last 20 years. Though illegal substances in the gastrointestinal tract can be visualized with ultrasound, MRI and CT, the abdominal radiograph has by far remained the most frequently used way of detecting smuggled drugs. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the inter-radiologist interpretation error and the reliability of the abdominal radiograph in detecting smuggled drugs. Materials and methods: A total of 279 abdominal radiographs of suspected smugglers were classified by three radiologists as clearly positive or negative for drug smuggling. All available information about the cases was collected from the customs officers and police. Results: Out of these cases 203 (73%) were interpreted as negative and 35 (13%) as positive by all three radiologists. In 86% of the cases there was, therefore, an inter-radiological agreement in interpreting the images. In 41 (14%) cases, however, there was an inter-radiologist disagreement. Kappa-value for inter-observer variability was 0.70. Conclusions: In up to a seventh of the abdominal radiographs the interpretation can be challenging even for an experienced radiologist. False positive interpretation can lead to innocent passengers being detained in vain. As negatively interpreted images usually result in releasing of the suspect, there is no way of knowing how many false negative occur. This makes the abdominal radiograph a suboptimal examination, and low dose CT should be considered as the screening modality for gastrointestinal drug smugglers

Feasibility of abdominal plain film images in evaluation suspected drug smuggler

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sormaala, Markus J., E-mail: markus.sormaala@welho.com [Medical Imaging Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki (Finland); Salonen, Hanna-Mari, E-mail: hanna-mari.salonen@hus.fi [Medical Imaging Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki (Finland); Mattila, Ville M., E-mail: ville.mattila@uta.fi [Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Trauma, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere (Finland); Kivisaari, Arto, E-mail: arto.kivisaari@hus.fi [Medical Imaging Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki (Finland); Autti, Taina, E-mail: taina.autti@hus.fi [Medical Imaging Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki (Finland)

2012-09-15

Objective: Drug smuggling in the gastrointestinal tract has soared within the last 20 years. Though illegal substances in the gastrointestinal tract can be visualized with ultrasound, MRI and CT, the abdominal radiograph has by far remained the most frequently used way of detecting smuggled drugs. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the inter-radiologist interpretation error and the reliability of the abdominal radiograph in detecting smuggled drugs. Materials and methods: A total of 279 abdominal radiographs of suspected smugglers were classified by three radiologists as clearly positive or negative for drug smuggling. All available information about the cases was collected from the customs officers and police. Results: Out of these cases 203 (73%) were interpreted as negative and 35 (13%) as positive by all three radiologists. In 86% of the cases there was, therefore, an inter-radiological agreement in interpreting the images. In 41 (14%) cases, however, there was an inter-radiologist disagreement. Kappa-value for inter-observer variability was 0.70. Conclusions: In up to a seventh of the abdominal radiographs the interpretation can be challenging even for an experienced radiologist. False positive interpretation can lead to innocent passengers being detained in vain. As negatively interpreted images usually result in releasing of the suspect, there is no way of knowing how many false negative occur. This makes the abdominal radiograph a suboptimal examination, and low dose CT should be considered as the screening modality for gastrointestinal drug smugglers.

The feasibility study based on e-commerce instructions-focuses on detection and deletion of illegal content

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Tianze; Bi, Siyu; Liu, Jiaming

2018-04-01

This essay legally restrains the illegal content based on the e-commerce directive and introduces that the European countries detect and notify illegal content through the instructions of competent authorities, notification of credible flaggers, user reports and technical tools. The illegal content should be deleted through the service terms and transparency report basing on prevent excessive deletions system. At the same time, use filters to detect and filter to against the recurrence of illegal content. By analyzing the advantages of China under the environment of cracking down on illegal content, this essay concludes that the success of China in cracking down on illegal content lies in all-round collaborative management model of countries, governments, enterprises and individuals. At the end of the essay, one is to build a training corpus that can automatically update the ability to identify the illegal content. And it proposes an optimization scheme that establish a complete set of address resolution procedures and classify IP address data according to big data analysis and DNS protection module to prevent hackers from spreading illegal content by tampering with DNS segments.

Outdoor Illegal Construction Identification Algorithm Based on 3D Point Cloud Segmentation

Science.gov (United States)

An, Lu; Guo, Baolong

2018-03-01

Recently, various illegal constructions occur significantly in our surroundings, which seriously restrict the orderly development of urban modernization. The 3D point cloud data technology is used to identify the illegal buildings, which could address the problem above effectively. This paper proposes an outdoor illegal construction identification algorithm based on 3D point cloud segmentation. Initially, in order to save memory space and reduce processing time, a lossless point cloud compression method based on minimum spanning tree is proposed. Then, a ground point removing method based on the multi-scale filtering is introduced to increase accuracy. Finally, building clusters on the ground can be obtained using a region growing method, as a result, the illegal construction can be marked. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified using a publicly data set collected from the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS).

Nicotine dependence, use of illegal drugs and psychiatric morbidity.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Ortega, José María; Jurado, Dolores; Martínez-González, Miguel Angel; Gurpegui, Manuel

2006-09-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the association of smoking and nicotine dependence with psychiatric morbidity, controlling for the potential confounding effect of smoking on the relationship between the use of other substances and psychiatric morbidity. A sample of 290 adults were interviewed at a primary health centre (patients, 58%; patients' relatives, 34%; staff, 8%) to inquire about their tobacco, caffeine, alcohol, and illegal drug consumption. Psychiatric morbidity, defined by a score >6 on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), showed a strong direct association with nicotine dependence. The use of illegal drugs, but not of alcohol, was also strongly associated with psychiatric morbidity, after controlling for smoking. Both smoking and high nicotine dependence were also associated with use of caffeine, alcohol, cannabis and cocaine. High nicotine dependence may be considered as an expression of individual psychopathologic vulnerability. Tobacco may have a central facilitating role in the use of caffeine, alcohol, and illegal drug.

A decade of illegal fishing in Table Mountain National Park (2000 ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Illegal fishing activities are reported to be on the increase in South Africa, including in its marine protected areas (MPAs). Research is presented on the nature and the scale of illegal fishing in Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) by analysing the numbers of abalone Haliotis midae and West Coast rock lobster Jasus ...

Global governance approaches to addressing illegal logging: uptake and lessons learnt

Science.gov (United States)

B. Cashore; K. McGinley; S. Leipold; P.O. Cerutti; G. Bueno; S. et al. Carodenuto

2016-01-01

This report presents the results of the fifth global scientific assessment undertaken by the GFEP initiative. The report set out to gain deeper understanding of the meaning of illegal logging and related timber trade, its scale, drivers and consequences. It provides a structured synthesis of available scientific and expert knowledge on illegal logging and associated...

Illegal drug use and its correlates in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Science.gov (United States)

Caetano, Raul; Vaeth, Patrice A C; Canino, Glorisa

2018-04-01

Data on the prevalence and correlates of illegal drug use in Puerto Rico are now almost 20 years old. This study sought to estimate the 12-month prevalence of illegal and non-prescribed medical drug use in San Juan, Puerto Rico and identify sociodemographic correlates of use. Data are from a random household sample of 1510 individuals, 18-64 years of age in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The 12-month prevalence of any illegal or non-prescribed drug use was 16.5%. Prevalence among men (20.7%) was higher than among women (12.9%; chi 2  = 16.308; df = 1; p  .05) were negatively associated with drug use compared to annual income up to $10,000. As in many other places in the U.S., drug use in San Juan, Puerto Rico is high, affecting about 1 in 6 adults in the population. The highest prevalence is for marijuana use, which cannot be medically prescribed and of which recreational use is illegal on the island. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ROLE IN THE SOLVING OF CATCHING FISH ILLEGALLY IN ACEH REGION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adwani

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to describe the shape of local government actions in tackling illegal fishing in Aceh, the handling of illegal fishing destructive fishery resources. The fundamental point is Law No. 45 Year 2009 concerning fisheries. This spesification of this research descriptive analysis, used both normative juridical approach and empirical. The results showed that the local government has made an effort preventive and repressive in the case of illegal fishing. To coordinate with relevant agencies and empower the role of traditional institutions of the sea to assist the role of government and law enforcement.Local governments should improve the coordination and supervision of the marine area, to monitor and evaluate the performance of local authorities in applying the law against this illegal fishing case.

The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996: an overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Fragomen, A T

1997-01-01

"On September 30, 1996, President Clinton signed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (1996 Act), Pub. L. No. 104-208, 110 Stat. 3009. After an intense lobbying effort by the business community, most provisions relating to legal immigration were omitted from the final bill. Instead, the 1996 Act focuses on illegal immigration reform and includes some of the toughest measures ever taken against illegal immigration." Aspects considered include border enforcement, penalities against alien smuggling and document fraud, deportation and exclusion proceedings, employer sanctions, welfare provisions, and changes to existing refugee and asylum procedures. excerpt

Digital Surveillance: A Novel Approach to Monitoring the Illegal Wildlife Trade

Science.gov (United States)

Joly, Damien; Mekaru, Sumiko; Brownstein, John S.

2012-01-01

A dearth of information obscures the true scale of the global illegal trade in wildlife. Herein, we introduce an automated web crawling surveillance system developed to monitor reports on illegally traded wildlife. A resource for enforcement officials as well as the general public, the freely available website, http://www.healthmap.org/wildlifetrade, provides a customizable visualization of worldwide reports on interceptions of illegally traded wildlife and wildlife products. From August 1, 2010 to July 31, 2011, publicly available English language illegal wildlife trade reports from official and unofficial sources were collected and categorized by location and species involved. During this interval, 858 illegal wildlife trade reports were collected from 89 countries. Countries with the highest number of reports included India (n = 146, 15.6%), the United States (n = 143, 15.3%), South Africa (n = 75, 8.0%), China (n = 41, 4.4%), and Vietnam (n = 37, 4.0%). Species reported as traded or poached included elephants (n = 107, 12.5%), rhinoceros (n = 103, 12.0%), tigers (n = 68, 7.9%), leopards (n = 54, 6.3%), and pangolins (n = 45, 5.2%). The use of unofficial data sources, such as online news sites and social networks, to collect information on international wildlife trade augments traditional approaches drawing on official reporting and presents a novel source of intelligence with which to monitor and collect news in support of enforcement against this threat to wildlife conservation worldwide. PMID:23236444

Digital surveillance: a novel approach to monitoring the illegal wildlife trade.

Science.gov (United States)

Sonricker Hansen, Amy L; Li, Annie; Joly, Damien; Mekaru, Sumiko; Brownstein, John S

2012-01-01

A dearth of information obscures the true scale of the global illegal trade in wildlife. Herein, we introduce an automated web crawling surveillance system developed to monitor reports on illegally traded wildlife. A resource for enforcement officials as well as the general public, the freely available website, http://www.healthmap.org/wildlifetrade, provides a customizable visualization of worldwide reports on interceptions of illegally traded wildlife and wildlife products. From August 1, 2010 to July 31, 2011, publicly available English language illegal wildlife trade reports from official and unofficial sources were collected and categorized by location and species involved. During this interval, 858 illegal wildlife trade reports were collected from 89 countries. Countries with the highest number of reports included India (n = 146, 15.6%), the United States (n = 143, 15.3%), South Africa (n = 75, 8.0%), China (n = 41, 4.4%), and Vietnam (n = 37, 4.0%). Species reported as traded or poached included elephants (n = 107, 12.5%), rhinoceros (n = 103, 12.0%), tigers (n = 68, 7.9%), leopards (n = 54, 6.3%), and pangolins (n = 45, 5.2%). The use of unofficial data sources, such as online news sites and social networks, to collect information on international wildlife trade augments traditional approaches drawing on official reporting and presents a novel source of intelligence with which to monitor and collect news in support of enforcement against this threat to wildlife conservation worldwide.

Digital surveillance: a novel approach to monitoring the illegal wildlife trade.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amy L Sonricker Hansen

Full Text Available A dearth of information obscures the true scale of the global illegal trade in wildlife. Herein, we introduce an automated web crawling surveillance system developed to monitor reports on illegally traded wildlife. A resource for enforcement officials as well as the general public, the freely available website, http://www.healthmap.org/wildlifetrade, provides a customizable visualization of worldwide reports on interceptions of illegally traded wildlife and wildlife products. From August 1, 2010 to July 31, 2011, publicly available English language illegal wildlife trade reports from official and unofficial sources were collected and categorized by location and species involved. During this interval, 858 illegal wildlife trade reports were collected from 89 countries. Countries with the highest number of reports included India (n = 146, 15.6%, the United States (n = 143, 15.3%, South Africa (n = 75, 8.0%, China (n = 41, 4.4%, and Vietnam (n = 37, 4.0%. Species reported as traded or poached included elephants (n = 107, 12.5%, rhinoceros (n = 103, 12.0%, tigers (n = 68, 7.9%, leopards (n = 54, 6.3%, and pangolins (n = 45, 5.2%. The use of unofficial data sources, such as online news sites and social networks, to collect information on international wildlife trade augments traditional approaches drawing on official reporting and presents a novel source of intelligence with which to monitor and collect news in support of enforcement against this threat to wildlife conservation worldwide.

Logging Concessions Enable Illegal Logging Crisis in the Peruvian Amazon

OpenAIRE

Finer, Matt; Jenkins, Clinton N.; Sky, Melissa A. Blue; Pine, Justin

2014-01-01

The Peruvian Amazon is an important arena in global efforts to promote sustainable logging in the tropics. Despite recent efforts to achieve sustainability, such as provisions in the US?Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, illegal logging continues to plague the region. We present evidence that Peru's legal logging concession system is enabling the widespread illegal logging via the regulatory documents designed to ensure sustainable logging. Analyzing official government data, we found that 68.3%...

Which psychoactive prescription drugs are illegally obtained and through which ways of acquisition? About OPPIDUM survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Frauger, Elisabeth; Nordmann, Sandra; Orleans, Veronica; Pradel, Vincent; Pauly, Vanessa; Thirion, Xavier; Micallef, Joëlle

2012-08-01

The objective of the study was to determine which psychoactive prescription drugs are illegally obtained and through which ways of acquisition. OPPIDUM is an annual national study. It is based on specialized care centers that included subjects presenting a drug dependency or under opiate maintenance treatment. All their psychoactive substances consumed are reported. This work focuses on the different ways of acquisition specially the illegal ways of acquisition (bought on the street, forged prescription, stolen, given, internet). For each medication illegally obtained, a ratio has been calculated (number of illegal acquisitions divided by the number of described acquisitions). In 2008, 5542 subjects have been included and have described the consumption of 11 027 substances including 63.8% of prescription drugs. Among them, 11% were illegally obtained. The different illegal acquisition ways were 'street market' (77.6%), 'gift' (16.6%), 'theft' (2.3%), 'forged prescription' (2.3%), and 'internet' (0.7%). The third first drugs illegally obtained were high dosage buprenorphine, methadone, and clonazepam. Some prescription drugs, less consumed, have an important ratio of illegal acquisition like ketamine, flunitrazepam, morphine, trihexyphenidyl, or methylphenidate. This study confirms that theft, forged prescription and internet are few used and permits to highlight diversion of prescription drugs. It is important to inform healthcare professionals on the different prescription drugs that are illegally obtained. © 2011 The Authors Fundamental and Clinical Pharmacology © 2011 Société Française de Pharmacologie et de Thérapeutique.

Clinical features and treatment prognosis of pathological gamblers with and without recent gambling-related illegal behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Ledgerwood, David M; Weinstock, Jeremiah; Morasco, Benjamin J; Petry, Nancy M

2007-01-01

A substantial proportion of pathological gamblers engage in gambling-related illegal behavior. We examined differences in baseline characteristics and treatment outcomes in two groups: pathological gamblers who did and did not commit gambling-related illegal acts in the year before treatment. Participants were 231 pathological gamblers enrolled in a randomized study of treatment that included cognitive behavior therapy and referral to Gamblers Anonymous (GA). Participants reporting recent illegal behavior (n = 63) endorsed more severe lifetime and recent (past-year) gambling disorder symptoms and higher gambling-related debt than did gamblers who denied illegal behavior (n = 168). Those who reported illegal behavior also maintained a significantly higher severity of gambling disorder throughout treatment, although both groups experienced similar improvements in gambling symptoms over time. While pathological gamblers with or without gambling-related illegal behavior appeared to improve at a similar rate regardless of the treatment provided, more intensive treatment may be warranted for individuals with gambling-related illegal behavior, as they demonstrated greater gambling severity throughout treatment and follow-up.

Spatio-temporal Characteristics of Land Use Land Cover Change Driven by Large Scale Land Transactions in Cambodia

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, A.; Smith, J. C.; Hijmans, R. J.

2017-12-01

Since mid-1990s, the Cambodian government granted nearly 300 `Economic Land Concessions' (ELCs), occupying approximately 2.3 million ha to foreign and domestic organizations (primarily agribusinesses). The majority of Cambodian ELC deals have been issued in areas of both relatively low population density and low agricultural productivity, dominated by smallholder production. These regions often contain highly biodiverse areas, thereby increasing the ecological cost associated with land clearing for extractive purposes. These large-scale land transactions have also resulted in substantial and rapid changes in land-use patterns and agriculture practices by smallholder farmers. In this study, we investigated the spatio-temporal characteristics of land use change associated with large-scale land transactions across Cambodia using multi-temporal multi-reolution remote sensing data. We identified major regions of deforestation during the last two decades using Landsat archive, global forest change data (2000-2014) and georeferenced database of ELC deals. We then mapped the deforestation and land clearing within ELC boundaries as well as areas bordering or near ELCs to quantify the impact of ELCs on local communities. Using time-series from MODIS Vegetation Indices products for the study period, we also estimated the time period over which any particular ELC deal initiated its proposed activity. We found evidence of similar patterns of land use change outside the boundaries of ELC deals which may be associated with i) illegal land encroachments by ELCs and/or ii) new agricultural practices adopted by local farmers near ELC boundaries. We also detected significant time gaps between ELC deal granting dates and initiation of land clearing for ELC purposes. Interestingly, we also found that not all designated areas for ELCs were put into effect indicating the possible proliferation of speculative land deals. This study demonstrates the potential of remote sensing techniques

Demographic evidence of illegal harvesting of an endangered asian turtle.

Science.gov (United States)

Sung, Yik-Hei; Karraker, Nancy E; Hau, Billy C H

2013-12-01

Harvesting pressure on Asian freshwater turtles is severe, and dramatic population declines of these turtles are being driven by unsustainable collection for food markets, pet trade, and traditional Chinese medicine. Populations of big-headed turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) have declined substantially across its distribution, particularly in China, because of overcollection. To understand the effects of chronic harvesting pressure on big-headed turtle populations, we examined the effects of illegal harvesting on the demography of populations in Hong Kong, where some populations still exist. We used mark-recapture methods to compare demographic characteristics between sites with harvesting histories and one site in a fully protected area. Sites with a history of illegal turtle harvesting were characterized by the absence of large adults and skewed ratios of juveniles to adults, which may have negative implications for the long-term viability of populations. These sites also had lower densities of adults and smaller adult body sizes than the protected site. Given that populations throughout most of the species' range are heavily harvested and individuals are increasingly difficult to find in mainland China, the illegal collection of turtles from populations in Hong Kong may increase over time. Long-term monitoring of populations is essential to track effects of illegal collection, and increased patrolling is needed to help control illegal harvesting of populations, particularly in national parks. Because few, if any, other completely protected populations remain in the region, our data on an unharvested population of big-headed turtles serve as an important reference for assessing the negative consequences of harvesting on populations of stream turtles. Evidencia Demográfica de la Captura Ilegal de una Tortuga Asiática en Peligro. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Work related injuries: estimating the incidence among illegally employed immigrants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fadda Emanuela

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Statistics on occupational accidents are based on data from registered employees. With the increasing number of immigrants employed illegally and/or without regular working visas in many developed countries, it is of interest to estimate the injury rate among such unregistered workers. Findings The current study was conducted in an area of North-Eastern Italy. The sources of information employed in the present study were the Accidents and Emergencies records of a hospital; the population data on foreign-born residents in the hospital catchment area (Health Care District 4, Primary Care Trust 20, Province of Verona, Veneto Region, North-Eastern Italy; and the estimated proportion of illegally employed workers in representative samples from the Province of Verona and the Veneto Region. Of the 419 A&E records collected between January and December 2004 among non European Union (non-EU immigrants, 146 aroused suspicion by reporting the home, rather than the workplace, as the site of the accident. These cases were the numerator of the rate. The number of illegally employed non-EU workers, denominator of the rate, was estimated according to different assumptions and ranged from between 537 to 1,338 individuals. The corresponding rates varied from 109.1 to 271.8 per 1,000 non-EU illegal employees, against 65 per 1,000 reported in Italy in 2004. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that there is an unrecorded burden of illegally employed immigrants suffering from work related injuries. Additional efforts for prevention of injuries in the workplace are required to decrease this number. It can be concluded that the Italian National Institute for the Insurance of Work Related Injuries (INAIL probably underestimates the incidence of these accidents in Italy.

Work related injuries: estimating the incidence among illegally employed immigrants.

Science.gov (United States)

Mastrangelo, Giuseppe; Rylander, Ragnar; Buja, Alessandra; Marangi, Gianluca; Fadda, Emanuela; Fedeli, Ugo; Cegolon, Luca

2010-12-08

Statistics on occupational accidents are based on data from registered employees. With the increasing number of immigrants employed illegally and/or without regular working visas in many developed countries, it is of interest to estimate the injury rate among such unregistered workers. The current study was conducted in an area of North-Eastern Italy. The sources of information employed in the present study were the Accidents and Emergencies records of a hospital; the population data on foreign-born residents in the hospital catchment area (Health Care District 4, Primary Care Trust 20, Province of Verona, Veneto Region, North-Eastern Italy); and the estimated proportion of illegally employed workers in representative samples from the Province of Verona and the Veneto Region. Of the 419 A&E records collected between January and December 2004 among non European Union (non-EU) immigrants, 146 aroused suspicion by reporting the home, rather than the workplace, as the site of the accident. These cases were the numerator of the rate. The number of illegally employed non-EU workers, denominator of the rate, was estimated according to different assumptions and ranged from between 537 to 1,338 individuals. The corresponding rates varied from 109.1 to 271.8 per 1,000 non-EU illegal employees, against 65 per 1,000 reported in Italy in 2004. The results of this study suggest that there is an unrecorded burden of illegally employed immigrants suffering from work related injuries. Additional efforts for prevention of injuries in the workplace are required to decrease this number. It can be concluded that the Italian National Institute for the Insurance of Work Related Injuries (INAIL) probably underestimates the incidence of these accidents in Italy.

22 CFR 127.6 - Seizure and forfeiture in attempts at illegal exports.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Seizure and forfeiture in attempts at illegal... REGULATIONS VIOLATIONS AND PENALTIES § 127.6 Seizure and forfeiture in attempts at illegal exports. (a) An... vessel, vehicle or aircraft involved in such attempt is subject to seizure, forfeiture and disposition as...

On financing the internal enforcement of illegal immigration policies.

Science.gov (United States)

Bucci, G A; Tenorio, R

1996-02-01

"We introduce a government budget constraint into an illegal immigration model, and show that the effect of increasing internal enforcement of immigration laws on the host country's disposable national income depends on the mix of employer fines and income taxation used to finance the added enforcement. These issues are addressed under alternative assumptions about (a) the ability of host country employers to discern between legal and illegal workers, and (b) host country labor market conditions. Empirical evidence for the United States indicates that the employer sanctions program may have had a negative impact on disposable national income." excerpt

Percentage compensation arrangements: suspect, but not illegal.

Science.gov (United States)

Fedor, F P

2001-01-01

Percentage compensation arrangements, in which a service is outsourced to a contractor that is paid in accordance with the level of its performance, are widely used in many business sectors. The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) has shown concern that these arrangements in the healthcare industry may offer incentives for the performance of unnecessary services or cause false claims to be made to Federal healthcare programs in violation of the antikickback statute and the False Claims Act. Percentage compensation arrangements can work and need not run afoul of the law as long as the healthcare organization carefully oversees the arrangement and sets specific safeguards in place. These safeguards include screening contractors, carefully evaluating their compliance programs, and obligating them contractually to perform within the limits of the law.

Insights into the illegal trade of feline derivatives in Costa Rica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer Rebecca Kelly, Ph.D.

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Research has given the illegal trade of feline derivatives in Mexico as well as Central and South America little attention. The purpose of this article is to: 1 Begin a dialogue among human dimensions of wildlife scholars about the economic and cultural values of feline derivatives throughout Mexico, Central and South America; 2 Present the range of economic values that emerged in my interview and participant observation data from Costa Rica; 3 Offer an explanation of how sociological concepts influence the buying and selling of dead jaguars (Panthera onca, pumas (Puma concolor, and ocelots (Leopardus pardalis in Costa Rica. The principal results are: 1 The sociological concepts of social status and masculine identity interlace with and motivate the illegal trade; 2 The value of feline parts in Costa Rica ranges from $25 to $5000; 3 This value differs by culture and geographic residency of the seller (urban versus rural and diverged from values discovered in other countries; 4 The men who adorn their homes with illegal trophies are not necessarily the poachers. The value of jaguar skin has been recorded for as little as $100 in a 1983 study conducted in Belize and for as high as $600 in a study done in Venezuela in approximately 2011. Because of cultural differences, Cabécar sell a feline skin for as little as $25 and up to $400 if it includes teeth and nails, but Ticos, who are non-indigenous Costa Ricans, sell the skins from $500-$5000. Non-indigenous, wealthy urban men indicate prestige by the display of feline parts. My findings align with existing research that jaguar skins are sold to people in larger cities and that adornment of feline derivatives is a masculine tradition that can be linked with Amerindian cultures and ancient times. Historically jaguars have been associated with elitist symbolism and evidence in this study suggests this continues in today's culture as a sign of social status. Results suggest that money alone does not

Toward a new understanding of the links between poverty and illegal wildlife hunting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duffy, Rosaleen; St John, Freya A.V.; Büscher, Bram; Brockington, Dan

2016-01-01

Conservation organizations have increasingly raised concerns about escalating rates of illegal hunting and trade in wildlife. Previous studies have concluded that people hunt illegally because they are financially poor or lack alternative livelihood strategies. However, there has been little

Forensic timber identification: It's time to integrate disciplines to combat illegal logging

Science.gov (United States)

Eleanor E. Dormontt; Markus Boner; Birgit Braun; Gerhard Breulmann; Bernd Degen; Edgard Espinoza; Shelley Gardner; Phil Guillery; John C. Hermanson; Gerald Koch; Soon Leong Lee; Milton Kanashiro; Anto Rimbawanto; Darren Thomas; Alex C. Wiedenhoeft; Yafang Yin; Johannes Zahnen; Andrew J. Lowe

2015-01-01

The prosecution of illegal logging crimes is hampered by a lack of available forensic timber identification tools, both for screening of suspectmaterial and definitive identification of illegally sourcedwood. Reputable timber traders are also struggling to police their own supply chains and comply with the growing requirement for due diligence with respect to timber...

Reality Television Programs Are Associated With Illegal Drug Use and Prescription Drug Misuse Among College Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Fogel, Joshua; Shlivko, Alexander

2016-01-02

Reality television watching and social media use are popular activities. Reality television can include mention of illegal drug use and prescription drug misuse. To determine if reality television and social media use of Twitter are associated with either illegal drug use or prescription drug misuse. Survey of 576 college students in 2011. Independent variables included watching reality television (social cognitive theory), parasocial interaction (parasocial interaction theory), television hours watched (cultivation theory), following a reality television character on Twitter, and demographics. Outcome variables were illegal drug use and prescription drug misuse. Watching reality television and also identifying with reality TV program characters were each associated with greater odds for illegal drug use. Also, following a reality TV character on Twitter had greater odds for illegal drug use and also in one analytical model for prescription drug misuse. No support was seen for cultivation theory. Those born in the United States had greater odds for illegal drug use and prescription drug misuse. Women and Asians had lower odds for illegal drug use. African Americans and Asians had lower odds for prescription drug misuse. Physicians, psychologists, and other healthcare practitioners may find it useful to include questions in their clinical interview about reality television watching and Twitter use. Physician and psychology groups, public health practitioners, and government health agencies should consider discussing with television broadcasting companies the potential negative impact of including content with illegal drugs and prescription drug misuse on reality television programs.

Illegal logging in the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, the Philippines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan van der Ploeg

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Illegal logging is a threat to biodiversity and rural livelihoods in the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, the largest protected area in the Philippines. Every year between 20,000 and 35,000 cu. m wood is extracted from the park. The forestry service and municipal governments tolerate illegal logging in the protected area; government officials argue that banning an important livelihood activity of households along the forest frontier will aggravate rural poverty. However this reasoning underestimates the scale of timber extraction, and masks resource capture and collusive corruption. Illegal logging in fact forms an obstacle for sustainable rural development in and around the protected area by destroying ecosystems, distorting markets, and subverting the rule of law. Strengthening law enforcement and controlling corruption are prerequisites for sustainable forest management in and around protected areas in insular southeast Asia.

Prehospital Emergencies in Illegal Gold Mining Sites in French Guiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Egmann, Gérald; Tattevin, Pierre; Palancade, Renaud; Nacher, Matthieu

2018-03-01

Illegal gold mining is flourishing in French Guiana, existing outside the law due to both the high cost of gold mining permits and the challenges of law enforcement within the Amazon forest. We report the characteristics of, and the medical responses to, medical emergencies in illegal gold mining sites. We performed a retrospective study of all medical emergencies reported from illegal gold mining sites to the centralized call office of SAMU 973 from 1998 through 2000 and from 2008 through 2010. According to the national health care system, any medical emergency within the territory is handled by the prehospital emergency medical service (SAMU 973), irrespective of the patients' legal status. Data were extracted from the SAMU 973 notebook registry (1998-2000) or the SAMU 973 computerized database (2008-2010) and werre collected using a standardized questionnaire. Of 71,932 calls for medical emergencies in French Guiana during the study periods, 340 (0.5%) originated from illegal gold mining sites. Of these, 196 (58%) led to medical evacuation by helicopter, whereas the overall rate of evacuation by helicopter after placing a call to SAMU 973 was only 4% (3020/71,932; PAmazon forest mostly include infectious diseases, followed by trauma, and often require medical evacuation by helicopter. Our study suggests that implementation of preventive medicine within gold mining sites, irrespective of their legal status, could be cost-effective and reduce morbidity. Copyright © 2017 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The composition of surrogate and illegal alcohol products in Estonia.

Science.gov (United States)

Lang, Katrin; Väli, Marika; Szucs, Sándor; Adány, Róza; McKee, Martin

2006-01-01

To identify the composition of illegal and surrogate alcohol products consumed in Estonia. The initial source of information was a series of visits made in August 2005 to a soup kitchen in central Tartu, Estonia. Individuals were asked for brief details of their personal circumstances, what they normally drank, and in addition they were asked to bring samples of the substances they usually consumed. In other cases, the substances identified were purchased by the investigators or from informal contacts in north-eastern part of Estonia, an area that is well known for illegal alcohol consumption. Samples were tested for chemical contents. We identified a range of alcohol-containing substances that are consumed, although, not intended for consumption. These comprised medicinal products, aftershaves, illegally produced spirits, and fire-lighting fuel. The medicinal compounds contained, on average, 67% ethanol by volume; the aftershaves contained slightly less. Both were typically pure, with a few containing detectable quantities of isoamyl alcohol. The illegally produced alcohol contained, on average, 43% ethanol by volume, ranging from 32 to 53%. However, many also contained detectable quantities of long chain alcohols. These substances are half the price or less of commercial vodka, with fire lighting fuels especially inexpensive. There is in Estonia a range of alcohol-containing substances easily available at low cost. Some contain substantially higher concentrations of ethanol than commercial spirits and others also contain toxic long chain alcohols.

MOTIVASI, SIKAP, DAN INTENSI PENGGUNA MEDIA SOSIAL PADA KAMPANYE STOP ILLEGAL FISHING

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La Moriansyah

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Social media is commonly used to promote social campaigns, one of which is Stop Illegal Fishing campaign. To achieve success in this campaign, some conditions have to be fulfilled i.e. positive attitudes of the social media users toward the campaigns and high intentions to provide recommendations (word of mouth to others. This study was conducted to analyze types of motivations affecting attitudes of users towards social campaigns (stop illegal fishing in social media. In addition, it also analyzed the influence of attitudes on users’ intentions in performing WOM. The method utilized to meet the objectives was Partial Least Square. The results showed that users’ motivation in using social media and towards the campaign messages are perceived to have significantly a positive effect on the attitude towards social campaigns in social media. Besides, the increase in the intention to perform WOM is positively influenced by the attitudes of social media users. There are differences identified in the motivation that affect the attitudes of social media users towards campaign of the two groups i.e. the social media users who have never seen the Stop Illegal Fishing campaign (151 samples and those who have seen the campaign in social media.    Keywords:  motivation, attitude, word of mouth, user experience, uses and gratification theory, digital campaigns, social campaigns, stop illegal fishingABSTRAKMedia sosial sering digunakan untuk mempromosikan kampanye sosial, contohnya adalah  kampanye Stop Illegal Fishing. Untuk meraih kesuksesan pada kampanye ini, beberapa hal yang harus diraih adalah sikap positif pengguna media sosial terhadap kampanye dan intensi yang tinggi untuk memberikan rekomendasi (word of mouth kepada orang lain. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk menganalisis motivasi pengguna apa saja yang memengaruhi sikap pengguna media sosial terhadap kampanye sosial (stop illegal fishing di media sosial. Selain itu menganalisis sikap

Determination of Ten Corticosteroids in Illegal Cosmetic Products by a Simple, Rapid, and High-Performance LC-MS/MS Method

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Vita Giaccone

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of our present work was the development of a rapid high-performance liquid chromatography method with electrospray ionization and tandem mass spectrometry detection (LC-ESI-MS/MS for the determination of several corticosteroids in cosmetic products. Corticosteroids are suspected to be illegally added in cosmetic preparations in order to enhance the curative effect against some skin diseases. Sample preparation step consists in a single extraction with acetonitrile followed by centrifugation and filtration. The compounds were separated by reversed-phase chromatography with water and acetonitrile (both with 0.1% formic acid gradient elution and detected by ESI-MS positive and negative ionization mode. The method was validated at the validation level of 0.1 mg kg−1. Linearity was studied in the 5–250 μg L−1 range and linear coefficients (r2 were all over 0.99. The accuracy and precision of the method were satisfactory. The LOD ranged from 0.085 to 0.109 mg kg−1 and the LOQ from 0.102 to 0.121 mg kg−1. Mean recoveries for all the analytes were within the range 91.9–99.2%. The developed method is sensitive and useful for detection, quantification, and confirmation of these corticosteroids in cosmetic preparations and can be applied in the analysis of the suspected samples under investigation.

An econometric study of illegal electricity connections in the urban favelas of Belo Horizonte, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mimmi, Luisa M.; Ecer, Sencer

2010-01-01

The data from the project 'Conviver,' launched in 2006 in Belo Horizonte (Brazil), provides a unique opportunity to study illegal electricity connections. Based on an original dataset of 15,279 low-income households, this paper studies the incidence and determinants of illegality in the context of low-income urban favelas. The probability of engaging in illegal behavior is explained not just by low income, but by a combination of concurring factors: sub-standard energy provision and equipment; inefficient/incorrect use of domestic electric appliances and running an informal in-house business. These recurrent issues in the urban favelas aggravate a sense of exclusion from growth, which is generally recognized as a trigger of illegality. The impact of energy demand on energy-related illegality is carefully analyzed, and different empirical strategies adopted to circumvent some simultaneity problem between both decision processes. The effectiveness of consumption-based energy subsidies is also explored. In spite of some contrary arguments in the literature, in the context of peri-urban slums, such measures may exert a positive impact in mitigating illegal access and use of energy. Effectiveness will be enhanced by accompanying measures such as: perceivable improvements of equipment, metering and maintenance, promotion of beneficiaries' awareness of energy usage, and energy-saving behaviors.

An econometric study of illegal electricity connections in the urban favelas of Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mimmi, Luisa M. [Global Partnership on Output-Based Aid (GPOBA), World Bank (United States); Ecer, Sencer [LECG, Georgetown University Public Policy Institute, Washington, DC (United States)

2010-09-15

The data from the project Conviver, launched in 2006 in Belo Horizonte (Brazil), provides a unique opportunity to study illegal electricity connections. Based on an original dataset of 15,279 low-income households, this paper studies the incidence and determinants of illegality in the context of low-income urban favelas. The probability of engaging in illegal behavior is explained not just by low income, but by a combination of concurring factors: sub-standard energy provision and equipment; inefficient/incorrect use of domestic electric appliances and running an informal in-house business. These recurrent issues in the urban favelas aggravate a sense of exclusion from growth, which is generally recognized as a trigger of illegality. The impact of energy demand on energy-related illegality is carefully analyzed, and different empirical strategies adopted to circumvent some simultaneity problem between both decision processes. The effectiveness of consumption-based energy subsidies is also explored. In spite of some contrary arguments in the literature, in the context of peri-urban slums, such measures may exert a positive impact in mitigating illegal access and use of energy. Effectiveness will be enhanced by accompanying measures such as: perceivable improvements of equipment, metering and maintenance, promotion of beneficiaries' awareness of energy usage, and energy-saving behaviors. (author)

The biomedicalisation of illegal abortion: the double life of misoprostol in Brazil

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Silvia De Zordo

Full Text Available Abstract This paper examines the double life of misoprostol in Brazil, where it is illegally used by women as an abortifacient and legally used in obstetric hospital wards. Based on my doctoral and post-doctoral anthropological research on contraception and abortion in Salvador, Bahia, this paper initially traces the “conversion” of misoprostol from a drug to treat ulcers to a self-administered abortifacient in Latin America, and its later conversion to aneclectic global obstetric tool. It then shows how, while reducing maternal mortality, its use as an illegal abortifacient has reinforced the double reproductive citizenship regime existing in countries with restrictive abortion laws and poor post-abortion care services, where poor women using it illegally are stigmatised, discriminated against and exposed to potentially severe health risks.

Legal Drugs Are Good Drugs and Illegal Drugs Are Bad Drugs

OpenAIRE

Indrati, Dina; Prasetyo, Herry

2011-01-01

ABSTRACT : Labelling drugs are important issue nowadays in a modern society. Although it is generally believed that legal drugs are good drugs and illegal drugs are bad drugs, it is evident that some people do not aware about the side effects of drugs used. Therefore, a key contention of this philosophical essay is that explores harms minimisation policy, discuss whether legal drugs are good drugs and illegal drugs are bad drugs and explores relation of drugs misuse in a psychiatric nursing s...

Crime and Punishment Analysis: Land Invasion "Para-institutions" in Cali

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enrique Javier Burbano Valencia

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Based on the crime economics of Becker (1968 and Ehrlich (1973, including the impact of the migratory flow, this paper studies the reasons why some individuals choose to strategically, rationally, and contingently become involved in illegal land invasion "para-institutions" in Cali since the 1950s. This will be done by modeling the efficiency of justice in order to discourage invaders through simulations of sentences and arrest likelihood and deterrent punishment under three "para-institutions": invasive dynasty, organized invasion and contingent invasion (endogenous migratory flow. These simulations will be anchored to calibrated actual parameters of the relevant population. This will allow the calibration of the line of indifference (division among individuals with invasive (and incentives to illegality and non-invasive behaviors. Finally, a policy proposal will be devised to help correct the inefficiencies found in the sanctioning mechanisms, if applicable.

The Use of Violence in Illegal Markets: Evidence from Mahogany Trade in the Brazilian Amazon

OpenAIRE

Chimeli, Ariaster B.; Soares, Rodrigo R.

2011-01-01

Agents operating in illegal markets cannot resort to the justice system to guarantee property rights, to enforce contracts, or to seek protection from competitors' improper behaviors. In these contexts, violence is used to enforce previous agreements and to fight for market share. This relationship plays a major role in the debate on the pernicious effects of the illegality of drug trade. This paper explores a singular episode of transition of a market from legal to illegal to provide a first...

KEJAHATAN KERAH PUTIH (WHITE COLLAR CRIME TERHADAP ILLEGAL LOGGING DI SUMATERA UTARA

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Muhammad R. Dayan

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Pemerintah membuat kebijakan terhadap tindak pidana Illegal logging disebabkan kegiatan illegal logging merupakan serangkaian tindakan penyimpangan perilaku yang berdampak kepada ekosistem secara berkelanjutan yang pada akhirnya berakibat dan membahayakan keberlangsungan hidup manusia. Sebagai suatu patokann (standar untuk menilai dan dikenakan sanksi pidana. Oleh karenya memerlukan penanggulangan baik secara preventif maupun represif. Pertanggungjawaban pelaku kejahatan kerah putih terhadap illegal logging adalah penerapan atas hukum yang meminta pertanggungjawaban pelaku tanpa membuktikan adanya unsur kesalahn atau adanya unsur kesalahan pada si pelaku tindak pidana. Hal ini disebabkan KUH Pidana mengandung unsur adanya asas mens rea (asas kesalahan dan tentang pertanggungjawbana pidana berorientasi kepada manusia atau orang bukan korporasi istilah “daad-dader straftrecht” artinya hukum pidana yang memperlihatkan segi-segi objektif dari “perbuatan” (daad dan juga segi-segi subjektif dari orang/pembuat (dader. Sifat hukum demikian akan menggambarkan keseimbangan antara kepentingan masyarakat dan kepentingan individu. Upaya penegakan hukum untuk menanggulangi kejahatan illegal logging adalah menggunakan perangkat undang-undang money laundering, hal ini disebabkan perangkat hukum memungkinkan actor intelektual yang mendanai kegiatan tersebut dapat terjerat oleh hukum. Oleh karenanya dalam tindak pidana pencucian uang adanya kerja sama antara Lembaga Penyedia Jasa Keuangan atas indikasi pencucian uang dan Pusat Pelapor dan Analisis Transaksi Keuangan (PPATK serta Penyidik (kepolisian dan Penuntut Umum.

The Illegal Employment in Ukraine: What More Is to Be Done to Overcome It?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shchetinina Ludmila V.

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The article considers consequences of proliferation of the illegal employment in Ukraine, which are classified by the levels of administration – international, macro, meso, micro, and personal level, further by the public institutions – the State employment service, system of compulsory social insurance, pension system, judiciary, trade unions etc. The article analyzes the legislative documents as to their contribution to unshadowing the employment and legalization of wages. It has been determined that employers that provide illegal employment can be subject to administrative responsibility, criminal liability, and penalties. But, despite the available demotivators towards the illegal employment in the national legislation, its volume remains significant. Therefore we suggest the following activities to be necessary: informing citizens about the legal liability for illegal employment, activation of bodies of the State supervision and monitoring of violations of labor laws as well as working groups on legalization of the payment of wages and employment.

“Don’t Let the Illegals Vote!”: The Myths of Illegal Latino Voters and Voter Fraud in Contested Local Immigrant Integration

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Robert Courtney Smith

2017-07-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes how the belief and fear by mostly older, white voters, politicians, and poll workers that “illegal” Latino immigrants were seeking to vote in local elections led to stigmatization of and discrimination against some Latino citizen voters in Port Chester, New York. Stoked by and closely echoing national voter ID law rhetoric, this fear fueled an “illegal Latino voter threat” narrative. This article documents how Port Chester’s leaders and citizens repeated this narrative in public life, sometimes enacting it in politics, including in voting. The resultant stigma denies Latino voters the presumed legitimacy other citizens enjoy, discrediting them in one word: illegal. Such processes harm democracy in Port Chester and America, and were on display in the 2016 presidential election.

The Real-Time Monitoring Service Platform for Land Supervision Based on Cloud Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, J.; Mao, M.; Xiang, H.; Wang, G.; Liang, Y.

2018-04-01

Remote sensing monitoring has become the important means for land and resources departments to strengthen supervision. Aiming at the problems of low monitoring frequency and poor data currency in current remote sensing monitoring, this paper researched and developed the cloud-integrated real-time monitoring service platform for land supervision which enhanced the monitoring frequency by acquiring the domestic satellite image data overall and accelerated the remote sensing image data processing efficiency by exploiting the intelligent dynamic processing technology of multi-source images. Through the pilot application in Jinan Bureau of State Land Supervision, it has been proved that the real-time monitoring technical method for land supervision is feasible. In addition, the functions of real-time monitoring and early warning are carried out on illegal land use, permanent basic farmland protection and boundary breakthrough in urban development. The application has achieved remarkable results.

Remote Sensing Analysis Techniques and Sensor Requirements to Support the Mapping of Illegal Domestic Waste Disposal Sites in Queensland, Australia

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Katharine Glanville

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Illegal disposal of waste is a significant management issue for contemporary governments with waste posing an economic, social, and environmental risk. An improved understanding of the distribution of illegal waste disposal sites is critical to enhance the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of waste management efforts. Remotely sensed data has the potential to address this knowledge gap. However, the literature regarding the use of remote sensing to map illegal waste disposal sites is incomplete. This paper aims to analyze existing remote sensing methods and sensors used to monitor and map illegal waste disposal sites. The purpose of this paper is to support the evaluation of existing remote sensing methods for mapping illegal domestic waste sites in Queensland, Australia. Recent advances in technology and the acquisition of very high-resolution remote sensing imagery provide an important opportunity to (1 revisit established analysis techniques for identifying illegal waste disposal sites, (2 examine the applicability of different remote sensors for illegal waste disposal detection, and (3 identify opportunities for future research to increase the accuracy of any illegal waste disposal mapping products.

IDENTITY FRAUD: Prevalence and Links to Alien Illegal Activities

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2002-01-01

To discuss the significance of "identity fraud"-a term that encompasses a broad range of illegal activities based on fraudulent use of identifying information of a real person or of a fictitious person...

Illegal trade of regulated and protected aquatic species in the Philippines detected by DNA barcoding.

Science.gov (United States)

Asis, Angelli Marie Jacynth M; Lacsamana, Joanne Krisha M; Santos, Mudjekeewis D

2016-01-01

Illegal trade has greatly affected marine fish stocks, decreasing fish populations worldwide. Despite having a number of aquatic species being regulated, illegal trade still persists through the transport of dried or processed products and juvenile species trafficking. In this regard, accurate species identification of illegally traded marine fish stocks by DNA barcoding is deemed to be a more efficient method in regulating and monitoring trade than by morphological means which is very difficult due to the absence of key morphological characters in juveniles and processed products. Here, live juvenile eels (elvers) and dried products of sharks and rays confiscated for illegal trade were identified. Twenty out of 23 (87%) randomly selected "elvers" were identified as Anguilla bicolor pacifica and 3 (13%) samples as Anguilla marmorata. On the other hand, 4 out of 11 (36%) of the randomly selected dried samples of sharks and rays were Manta birostris. The rest of the samples were identified as Alopias pelagicus, Taeniura meyeni, Carcharhinus falciformis, Himantura fai and Mobula japonica. These results confirm that wild juvenile eels and species of manta rays are still being caught in the country regardless of its protected status under Philippine and international laws. It is evident that the illegal trade of protected aquatic species is happening in the guise of dried or processed products thus the need to put emphasis on strengthening conservation measures. This study aims to underscore the importance of accurate species identification in such cases of illegal trade and the effectivity of DNA barcoding as a tool to do this.

10 CFR 707.13 - Medical review of results of tests for illegal drug use.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... another test, performed by the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method (GC/MS). This procedure is... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Medical review of results of tests for illegal drug use... Procedures § 707.13 Medical review of results of tests for illegal drug use. (a) All test results shall be...

Personality characteristics of victims of illegal attacks on the Internet

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Safuanov F.S.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article examines the personality characteristics of victims of illegal attacks on the Internet. We used methods as follow: 16 factors Cattell personality questionnaire, subjective control level, life-style index, Buss-Perry questionnaire, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, a COPE inventory. 78 internet users were divided into two groups of 38 persons: the main group included people falling victim to illegal attacks on the Internet, the control group participants were not attacked on the internet. We identified specific aggregated symptoms of individual psychological characteristics of internet attack victims and show that victims of "non-forced" and "forced" offenses have different levels of situational and personal anxiety, aggression and locus of control.

Illegal Immigration: Is It a Threat To National Security

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Smith, III, Luther B

2006-01-01

.... borders without benefit of government oversight or control. On the positive side illegal immigrants provided pools of unskilled and semi-skilled labor to fuel growth in the American service-based economy over the last fifteen years...

Illegal dumping and crime prevention: A case study of Ash Road, Liverpool Council

OpenAIRE

Crofts, Penny; Morris, Tara; Wells, Kim; Powell, Alicia

2010-01-01

Illegal waste disposal is an increasingly significant and costly problem. This paper considers a specific hot-spot for illegal dumping in Sydney, Australia from criminological perspectives. We contribute to the developing criminological literature that considers environmental harms as a crime. This draws upon the symbolic aspect of criminal law, contributing to the notion of environmental harms as wrongs worthy of sanction, and facilitates analysis through the prism of criminological literatu...

Client and clinician-rated characteristics of problem gamblers with and without history of gambling-related illegal behaviors.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Jennifer D; Lister, Jamey J; Struble, Cara A; Cairncross, Molly; Carr, Meagan M; Ledgerwood, David M

2018-03-12

Individuals with gambling disorder are at an elevated risk for engaging in gambling-related illegal behaviors. The present study examined client (N = 88) and clinician ratings (N = 30) of client characteristics associated with a history of gambling-related illegal behaviors. We also examined client characteristics associated with history of arrest for a gambling-related crime. Gambling-related illegal behaviors and arrest were common (57.3% and 23.9%, respectively) in the present sample. Clients of younger age, and those with greater gambling-related financial consequences, lifetime alcohol problems, impulsivity, mood symptoms, and daily living role difficulties were more likely to report gambling-related illegal behaviors. Clients who had been arrested for a gambling-related crime were more likely to report daily living and role functioning difficulties and lifetime alcohol problems. Clinicians rated clients with a history of gambling-related illegal behaviors and/or gambling-related arrests as more impulsive, and clinicians also endorsed higher rates of treatment failure among these clients. Both client and clinician report suggested that clients with a history of illegal behaviors may have a variety of comorbid problems that may be a focus of clinical intervention. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comments on Triassi et al. Environmental Pollution from Illegal Waste Disposal and Health Effects: A Review on the “Triangle of Death”. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2015, 12, 1216–1236

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maurizio Bifulco

2015-03-01

Full Text Available A recent paper was published on Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health addressing the so-called “Triangle of Death” linked to waste crisis in the Southern Italy [1]. Three decades of illegal waste management including uncontrolled disposal of toxic and industrial material, land filling and unauthorized incineration have transformed these Italian areas, into the poisoned dustbin of the country, the “Triangle of Death” also called “Land of Fires” [2,3], characterized by the presence of a widespread organized crime, a huge social and economic disintegration, a high population density with large migration flows. [...

The Immigration Challenge: The Use of U.S. Military Force to Control Illegal Immigration from Mexico

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Grissom, Bruce

1997-01-01

Controlling illegal immigration into the United States has become a major issue in U.S. politics. A February 1997 report released by the INS estimates that there are currently 5 million illegal aliens in the United States...

Becoming less illegal: deservingness frames and undocumented migrant incorporation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chauvin, S.; Garcés-Mascareñas, B.

2014-01-01

Over the last two decades, research on unauthorized migration has departed from the equation of migrant illegality with absolute exclusion, emphasizing that formal exclusion typically results in subordinate inclusion. Irregular migrants integrate through informal support networks, the underground

Economics of Illegal Work and Illegal Workers (Immigrants: Are They Protected under South African Labour Law and the Constitution, 1996?

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Mashele Rapatsa

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This article analyses whether prostitution (illegal work and illegal immigrants have access to the protective ambits of statutory framework regulating employment relations. Its objective is to examine the scope of labour law, considerate of ever changing trends in the modern world of work. It utilizes the two notable precedents founded in Kylie v CCMA and Discovery Health v CCMA. This is considerate of inherent dynamics in contemporary labour relations where the majority of workers have been displaced into grey areas that offer little or no protection, thus rendering workers vulnerable to exploitation. The article highlights a rising tension arising out of exploitative labour practices and socio-economic factors, and the need for labour law to respond. It has been found that courts have creatively invented strategic methods that have successfully aided efforts of protecting vulnerable workers engaged in economic activities under precarious circumstances. This is to the extent that the Constitution, 1996 and the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 have been interpreted in a manner that enhances worker protection, which fulfils the purpose for which labour law was enacted.

The Value Added Tax Implications of Illegal Transactions

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

that "enterprises" conducting their business by illegal means should register as VAT vendors? ..... The issue confronting the courts was the maxim ex turpi causa non oritur actio in ...... Applying the principles of tax neutrality creating a moral dilemma? .... William Collins and Sons Co Ltd Collins English Dictionary 6 th ed.

Monkey business : the illegal trade in Barbary macaques

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Uhm, D.P.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/380477025

2016-01-01

This article focuses on the organization, modus operandi and trade route of the illegal trade in Barbary macaques. The Barbary macaque is the most seized CITES mammal in the EU, accounting for almost 25% of live mammalrelated seizures. It is estimated that as few as 5,000-6,000 Barbary macaques

MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE ILLEGAL DUMPING AND IT’S SPATIAL AUTOREGRESSION: THE CASE OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA

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Youngjae Chang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available We reviewed the data pertaining to the illegal dumping of municipal solid waste in the Republic of Korea for the year 2011 to check for the presence of spatial autoregression of illegal dumping among 224 basic autonomous units with reference to the “Broken Windows Theory.” We found that a pure neighborhood effect exists even after controlling for conventional variables that explain illegal dumping behavior. Interestingly, however, the neighborhood effect is largely offset by so-called relative price effect such that the number of illegal dumping reported in one region is in fact decreased as the price of vinyl bag for MSW in neighboring regions increases, which is seemingly against the implication of the “Broken Windows Theory.”

Research on image evidence in land supervision and GIS management

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qiu; Wu, Lixin

2006-10-01

Land resource development and utilization brings many problems. The numbers, the scale and volume of illegal land use cases are on the increasing. Since the territory is vast, and the land violations are concealment, it is difficulty for an effective land supervision and management. In this paper, the concepts of evidence, and preservation of evidence were described first. The concepts of image evidence (IE), natural evidence (NE), natural preservation of evidence (NPE), general preservation of evidence (GPE) were proposed based on the characteristics of remote sensing image (RSI) which has a characteristic of objectiveness, truthfulness, high spatial resolution, more information included. Using MapObjects and Visual Basic 6.0, under the Access management to implement the conjunction of spatial vector database and attribute data table; taking RSI as the data sources and background layer; combining the powerful management of geographic information system (GIS) for spatial data, and visual analysis, a land supervision and GIS management system was design and implemented based on NPE. The practical use in Beijing shows that the system is running well, and solved some problems in land supervision and management.

32 CFR 228.9 - Prohibition on narcotics and illegal substances.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... DEFENSE (CONTINUED) MISCELLANEOUS SECURITY PROTECTIVE FORCE § 228.9 Prohibition on narcotics and illegal... cases where the drug is being used as prescribed for a patient by a licensed physician. ...

Anatomy of an eradication effort: Removing Hawaii's illegally introduced axis deer

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, Steven C.; Muise, Jake; Schipper, Jan

2015-01-01

In February 2011, a rancher in the rural southern part of Hawaii Island reported a large mammal on her land. Her call mobilized several agencies led by the Big Island Invasive Species Committee (BIISC), a partnership to prevent, detect, and control the establishment and spread of invasive species, to sit up and take notice. Agency biologists installed camera traps to identify the animal, and a few months later verified the diagnostic field marks of a chervid with spots. The animal in questions was a chital, or axis deer (Axis axis)--a species native to tropical and subtropical India. Although the deer are abundant on the islands of Molokai, Lānai, and Maui, officials knew they weren't capable of swimming across the notoriously treacherous ʻAlenuihāhā channel, and subsequently suspected human intervention.

Controlling conservation functions of peat lands at Langgam Sub District, Pelalawan of Riau Province

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P Astuti

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Forest fires in Langgam District, Pelalawan Regency of Riau Province is caused environmental damage which impact on many aspects, especially the social and economic. This study was aimed to identify the natural environment, the impact of deforestation and land, and the potential problems to the spatial environment and to manage of land conservation and the environment. The methodology used in this study-included quantitative analysis with interviews, GIS spatial analysis and qualitative analysis. Results of this study indicated that the destruction of forests covering about 45.71% of total land in Riau Province was peat land. Sixty six percent of the destruction was directed to the use of land and forest production. There were 11 fire spots in the Langgam District. Results of SWOT analysis indicated non-integrated the estate management, lack of coordination among stakeholders, non-integrated institutional management and forestry and plantations, lack of budget, large illegal logging and land conversion made by private and public institutions.

Games of corruption: how to suppress illegal logging.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Joung-Hun; Sigmund, Karl; Dieckmann, Ulf; Iwasa, Yoh

2015-02-21

Corruption is one of the most serious obstacles for ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation. In particular, more than half of the loss of forested area in many tropical countries is due to illegal logging, with corruption implicated in a lack of enforcement. Here we study an evolutionary game model to analyze the illegal harvesting of forest trees, coupled with the corruption of rule enforcers. We consider several types of harvesters, who may or may not be committed towards supporting an enforcer service, and who may cooperate (log legally) or defect (log illegally). We also consider two types of rule enforcers, honest and corrupt: while honest enforcers fulfill their function, corrupt enforcers accept bribes from defecting harvesters and refrain from fining them. We report three key findings. First, in the absence of strategy exploration, the harvester-enforcer dynamics are bistable: one continuum of equilibria consists of defecting harvesters and a low fraction of honest enforcers, while another consists of cooperating harvesters and a high fraction of honest enforcers. Both continua attract nearby strategy mixtures. Second, even a small rate of strategy exploration removes this bistability, rendering one of the outcomes globally stable. It is the relative rate of exploration among enforcers that then determines whether most harvesters cooperate or defect and most enforcers are honest or corrupt, respectively. This suggests that the education of enforcers, causing their more frequent trialing of honest conduct, can be a potent means of curbing corruption. Third, if information on corrupt enforcers is available, and players react opportunistically to it, the domain of attraction of cooperative outcomes widens considerably. We conclude by discussing policy implications of our results. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Access to serviced land for the urban poor: the regularization paradox in Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfonso Iracheta Cenecorta

2000-01-01

Full Text Available The insufficient supply of serviced land at affordable prices for the urban poor and the need for regularization of the consequent illegal occupations in urban areas are two of the most important issues on the Latin American land policy agenda. Taking a structural/integrated view on the functioning of the urban land market in Latin America, this paper discusses the nexus between the formal and the informal land markets. It thus exposes the perverse feedback effects that curative regularization policies may have on the process by which irregularity is produced in the first place. The paper suggests that a more effective approach to the provision of serviced land for the poor cannot be resolved within the prevailing (curative regularization programs. These programs should have the capacity to mobilize the resources that do exist into a comprehensive program that links regularization with fiscal policy, including the exploration of value capture mechanisms.

Escape from Socialist Yugoslavia ‒ Illegal Emigration from Croatia from 1945 to the Beginning of the 1960s

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatjana Šarić

2015-08-01

Full Text Available In the post-war socialist Yugoslavia political and/or economic situation has become unacceptable for part of the population. Since legal emigration from Croatia was not allowed, the number of illegal immigrants increased since the end of World War II. The article deals with this group of migrants using the comparative analysis of original archival materials and available literature in the period from 1945 to 1961 when the state began to gradually open the border. Mostly young people, under 25 years of age, immigrated illegally, mainly for economic reasons, and this was associated with a tradition of emigration, especially in the coastal region. In addition to the poor economic situation, people also emigrated for political reasons, then for adventure, to avoid serving in the Yugoslav People’s Army or to escape from the law for committing criminal offenses. They were fleeing by land or by sea, which was much more successful. Usually the first destinations of the immigrants were Italy, Austria and Germany, from where the majority of them moved to overseas countries. Most people fled the districts of Rijeka, Pula, Zagreb, Zadar, Šibenik and Split that existed at that time so that 74% of all illegal immigrants came from them. The runaways were mostly workers, followed by farmers, vocational school students, public servants, pupils and students, sailors and craftsmen. According to gender, there were many more men than women among the runaways, most of whom were unmarried. The authorities were trying to prevent the escape abroad by methods of controlling the border and prison sentences, but also by the attempts to ensure better living conditions in the affected areas. As these measures had not yielded the desired results, but also due to the beginning of the economic crisis and the appearance of unemployment, the authorities liberalized emigration procedures and opened the borders to immigrants which resulted in a new wave of economic emigration.

The role of the illegality factor in the taxation of income. Part II

OpenAIRE

Čerka, Paulius; Gudynienė, Lina

2012-01-01

The taxation of illegal income is quite common in many foreign countries, but this practice is not yet applicable in Lithuania, though the recent movements of Lithuania’s Finance Minister, when she admitted that all income should be taxed despite it’s source show her positive attitude towards the taxation of illegal income. The article promotes the idea that all personal income, despite its source, should be taxed.The article is divided into two parts: the first one, which is not published he...

Discursive Representations of Asylum Seekers and Illegal Immigrants in Ireland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elaine Burroughs

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Migrants are often referred to as an all encompassing group of people and the “many faces of migration”, the variety of people, legalities and complexities involved, can be overlooked. The same can be said for non-EU migrants in the Irish context. Non-EU migrants (or those that are not Caucasian are generally viewed to be a distinct cohort of comparable migrants. Indeed, these migrants are often portrayed in a broadly negative way by key Irish institutions (such as the parliament or the media, and these representations impact upon how Irish society views non-EU migration and indeed migration in general. While Ireland is by no means the only European country in which this type of practice occurs, this paper aims to draw attention to generalized, inaccurate and misleading representations of non-EU migrants in Ireland, by specifically examining representations of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants. There can be an overlap in how these “types” of migrants are conceptualized and this paper therefore aims to develop an understanding of the implications involved for migrants categorized as an “asylum seeker” or an “illegal immigrant.” Furthermore, these topics are under-researched within the Irish context, yet they receive much political and public attention. At the same time however, this paper aims to challenge the labels assigned to non-EU migrants and the terminology that is used to define their identity so concretely. In the Irish context there is much confusion in relation to the multiple “faces” of non-EU migration, as a range of terminology is used to refer to them. This terminology is often used in an interchangeable manner, in an array of societal contexts. There is a consistent (whether this happens intentionally or unintentionally is debatable misuse of categories and migration terminology in Irish institutional discourses. Quite often those seeking asylum are referred to as illegal immigrants and vice versa

25 CFR 166.814 - How will the BIA determine the value of the products or property illegally used or removed?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... the BIA determine the value of the products or property illegally used or removed? We will determine the value of the products or property illegally used or removed based upon a valuation of similar... property illegally used or removed? 166.814 Section 166.814 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF...

The Role of Family Experiences for Adolescents' Readiness to Use and Participate in Illegal Political Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Glatz, Terese; Dahl, Viktor

2016-01-01

This study used reactance theory as a starting point to explain what role a perceived undemocratic and controlling family has for adolescents' readiness to use illegal political activity. Additionally, we examined whether adolescents' readiness to use illegal political means was related to actual political behaviour, which has been lacking in…

Assessing Guinea Bissau's Legal and Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fisheries and the Surveillance Efforts to Tackle Them

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeremias Francisco Intchama

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Fisheries in Guinea Bissau contribute greatly to the economy and food security of its people. Yet, as the ability of the country to monitor its fisheries is at most weak, and confronted with a heavy foreign fleet presence, the impact of industrial foreign fleets on fisheries catches is unaccounted for in the region. However, their footprint in terms of catch and value on the small-scale sector is heavily felt, through declining availability of fish. Fisheries in Guinea Bissau are operated by both legal (small-scale and industrial, and illegal (foreign unauthorized fleets, whose catches are barely recorded. In this paper, we assess catches by both the legal and illegal sector, and the economic loss generated by illegal fisheries in the country, then attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of Monitoring Control and Surveillance (MCS of Guinea Bissau's fisheries. Two main sectors were identified through official reports and a literature review, the large-scale (industrial sector, which between 2011 and 2017 included exclusively catches by foreign owned and flagged vessels, and catches by the small-scale sector, which remain largely unmonitored in official statistics. We use the available data on the number of legal and illegal vessels and/or fishers, and their respective catch per unit of effort to estimate catches, and we analyze monitoring outcomes against the registered industrial and artisanal fleets. We find that of the legal industrial vessels, 20% were linked to criminal activities in the past 7 years. These activities range widely from using an illegal mesh size, to fishing in a prohibited area, to labor abuse. Overall, total small-scale and industrial catches were estimated at 370,000 t/year in 2017, of which less than 2% is ever reported to the FAO. Small-scale catches represented 8% of the total catch, and this contribution was found to be declining. Industrial fisheries generate over $458 million US, or which $75 million US is taken

China's Rare Earth Supply Chain: Illegal Production, and Response to new Cerium Demand

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Ruby Thuy; Imholte, D. Devin

2016-07-01

As the demand for personal electronic devices, wind turbines, and electric vehicles increases, the world becomes more dependent on rare earth elements. Given the volatile, Chinese-concentrated supply chain, global attempts have been made to diversify supply of these materials. However, the overall effect of supply diversification on the entire supply chain, including increasing low-value rare earth demand, is not fully understood. This paper is the first attempt to shed some light on China's supply chain from both demand and supply perspectives, taking into account different Chinese policies such as mining quotas, separation quotas, export quotas, and resource taxes. We constructed a simulation model using Powersim Studio that analyzes production (both legal and illegal), production costs, Chinese and rest-of-world demand, and market dynamics. We also simulated new demand of an automotive aluminum-cerium alloy in the US market starting from 2018. Results showed that market share of the illegal sector has grown since 2007-2015, ranging between 22% and 25% of China's rare earth supply, translating into 59-65% illegal heavy rare earths and 14-16% illegal light rare earths. There will be a shortage in certain light and heavy rare earths given three production quota scenarios and constant demand growth rate from 2015 to 2030. The new simulated Ce demand would require supply beyond that produced in China. Finally, we illustrate revenue streams for different ore compositions in China in 2015.

Identifying areas under potential risk of illegal construction and demolition waste dumping using GIS tools.

Science.gov (United States)

Seror, Nissim; Portnov, Boris A

2018-05-01

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste, dumped illegally in ravines and open areas, contaminates soil and can cause underground water pollution and forests fires. Yet, effective monitoring of illegal C&D waste dumping and enforcing legislation against the offenders are often a difficult task due to the large size of geographic areas that need to be monitored, and limited human and financial resources available to environmental law enforcement agencies. In this study, we use Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and geo-statistical modelling to identify the areas under potentially elevated risk of illegal C&D waste dumping in the Haifa district of Israel. As our analysis shows, locational factors, significantly associated with the accumulated amount of waste in the existing illegal C&D waste sites, include: distance to the nearest main road, depth of the ravine present at the site (pwaste dumping for future monitoring. As we suggest, the proposed approach may be useful for environmental law enforcement authorities, by helping them to focus on specific sites for inspection, save resources, and act against the offenders more efficiently. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Guidelines for identifying suspect/counterfeit material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-09-01

These guidelines are intended to assist users of products in identifying: substandard, misrepresented, or fraudulently marked items. The guidelines provide information about such topics as: precautions, inspection and testing, dispositioning identified items, installed inspection and reporting suspect/counterfeit materials. These guidelines apply to users who are developing procurement documents, product acceptance/verification methods, company procedures, work instructions, etc. The intent of these SM guidelines in relation to the Quality Assurance Program Description (QAPD) and implementing company Management Control Procedures is not to substitute or replace existing requirements, as defined in either the QAPD or company implementing instructions (Management Control Procedures). Instead, the guidelines are intended to provide a consolidated source of information addressing the issue of Suspect/Counterfeit materials. These guidelines provide an extensive suspect component listing and suspect indications listing. Users can quickly check their suspect items against the list of manufacturers products (i.e., type, LD. number, and nameplate information) by consulting either of these listings.

The War on Illegal Drug Production and Trafficking: An Economic Evaluation of Plan Colombia

OpenAIRE

Daniel Mejía; Pascual Restrepo

2008-01-01

This paper provides a thorough economic evaluation of the anti-drug policies implemented in Colombia between 2000 and 2006 under the so-called Plan Colombia. The paper develops a game theory model of the war against illegal drugs in producer countries. We explicitly model illegal drug markets, which allows us to account for the feedback effects between policies and market outcomes that are potentially important when evaluating large scale policy interventions such as Plan Colombia. We use ava...

Madagascar rosewood, illegal logging and the tropical timber trade ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Although deforestation rates in the tropics are reportedly slowing, the loss of both forest area and forest quality remains a significant issue for many countries. This is particularly true of Madagascar, where recent government instability has enabled a significant increase in the incidence of illegal logging of Dalbergia species ...

Analysis on typical illegal events for nuclear safety class 1 valve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tian Dongqing; Gao Runsheng; Jiao Dianhui; Yang Lili; Chen Peng

2014-01-01

Illegal welding events of nuclear safety class l valve forging occurred to the manufacturer, while the valve was returned to be repaired. Illegal nondestructive test event of nuclear safety class valve occurred also to the manufacturer in the manufacturing process. The two events have resulted in quality incipient fault for the installed valves and the valves in the manufacturing process. It was reflected that operation of the factory quality assurance system isn't activated, and nuclear power engineering and operating company have insufficient supervision. The event-related parties should strengthen quality management and process control, get rid of the quality incipient fault, and experience feedback should be done well to guarantee quality of equipment in nuclear power plant. (authors)

Illegal aliens, unemployment and immigration policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Djajic, S

1987-02-01

"This paper develops a simple two-country model of illegal immigration in an attempt to examine the interaction among variables such as the stock of migrant labor, the unemployment rates of the two economies, and the rate of spending by the host country on the enforcement of its immigration restrictions. The focus of the analysis is on the dynamics of immigration policy and on its role in determining the nature of the mechanism by which disturbances to the labor market of one country are transmitted to that of the other in the short run and in the long run." excerpt

Exploring differences in stakeholders' perceptions of illegal bird trapping in Cyprus.

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, Heather M; Mammides, Christos; Keane, Aidan

2017-11-28

Cyprus is recognised as a hotspot for illegal bird trapping in the Mediterranean basin. A consumer demand for the Eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) is driving the use of non-selective trapping methods, resulting in the indiscriminate killing of millions of migratory birds. Efforts to tackle the issue have so far been characterised mostly by a top-down approach, focusing on legislation and enforcement. However, trapping levels are not decreasing and conflict between stakeholder groups is intensifying. To understand why efforts to stop illegal bird trapping have not been effective, we used semi-structured interviews to interview 18 local bird trappers and nine representatives from the pertinent environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the governmental agencies responsible for enforcing the legislation. We found distinct differences between the views of the local trapping community and the environmental NGOs, particularly on why trapping is occurring and its impact on the avifauna. This disparity has contributed to misrepresentations of both sides and a high degree of conflict, which is potentially proving counterproductive to conservation interventions. In addition, it appears that trappers are a heterogeneous group, likely driven by various motivations besides profit. We argue that stakeholders interested in reducing illegal bird trapping need to develop anti-poaching strategies that aim at minimising the disparity in the views, and subsequently the conflict, acknowledging also that trappers are not a homogenous group, as often treated.

Environmental impact of illegal refineries on the vegetation of the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... aesthetic scenery of the forest, regeneration of plant species and destruction of wildlife habitat, disruption of water cycle and loss of medicinal plant species. Youth empowerment, through vocational training and environmental education can ameliorate the situation. Keywords: Environmental degradation, Illegal Refineries, ...

Automatic detection of potentially illegal online sales of elephant ivory via data mining

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julio Hernandez-Castro

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In this work, we developed an automated system to detect potentially illegal elephant ivory items for sale on eBay. Two law enforcement experts, with specific knowledge of elephant ivory identification, manually classified items on sale in the Antiques section of eBay UK over an 8 week period. This set the “Gold Standard” that we aim to emulate using data-mining. We achieved close to 93% accuracy with less data than the experts, as we relied entirely on metadata, but did not employ item descriptions or associated images, thus proving the potential and generality of our approach. The reported accuracy may be improved with the addition of text mining techniques for the analysis of the item description, and by applying image classification for the detection of Schreger lines, indicative of elephant ivory. However, any solution relying on images or text description could not be employed on other wildlife illegal markets where pictures can be missing or misleading and text absent (e.g., Instagram. In our setting, we gave human experts all available information while only using minimal information for our analysis. Despite this, we succeeded at achieving a very high accuracy. This work is an important first step in speeding up the laborious, tedious and expensive task of expert discovery of illegal trade over the internet. It will also allow for faster reporting to law enforcement and better accountability. We hope this will also contribute to reducing poaching, by making this illegal trade harder and riskier for those involved.

Likelihood of illegal alcohol sales at professional sport stadiums.

Science.gov (United States)

Toomey, Traci L; Erickson, Darin J; Lenk, Kathleen M; Kilian, Gunna R

2008-11-01

Several studies have assessed the propensity for illegal alcohol sales at licensed alcohol establishments and community festivals, but no previous studies examined the propensity for these sales at professional sport stadiums. In this study, we assessed the likelihood of alcohol sales to both underage youth and obviously intoxicated patrons at professional sports stadiums across the United States, and assessed the factors related to likelihood of both types of alcohol sales. We conducted pseudo-underage (i.e., persons age 21 or older who appear under 21) and pseudo-intoxicated (i.e., persons feigning intoxication) alcohol purchase attempts at stadiums that house professional hockey, basketball, baseball, and football teams. We conducted the purchase attempts at 16 sport stadiums located in 5 states. We measured 2 outcome variables: pseudo-underage sale (yes, no) and pseudo-intoxicated sale (yes, no), and 3 types of independent variables: (1) seller characteristics, (2) purchase attempt characteristics, and (3) event characteristics. Following univariate and bivariate analyses, we a separate series of logistic generalized mixed regression models for each outcome variable. The overall sales rates to the pseudo-underage and pseudo-intoxicated buyers were 18% and 74%, respectively. In the multivariate logistic analyses, we found that the odds of a sale to a pseudo-underage buyer in the stands was 2.9 as large as the odds of a sale at the concession booths (30% vs. 13%; p = 0.01). The odds of a sale to an obviously intoxicated buyer in the stands was 2.9 as large as the odds of a sale at the concession booths (89% vs. 73%; p = 0.02). Similar to studies assessing illegal alcohol sales at licensed alcohol establishments and community festivals, findings from this study shows the need for interventions specifically focused on illegal alcohol sales at professional sporting events.

Outcomes of the international forum. Illegal nuclear traffic: Risks, safeguards and countermeasures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martellini, M.; Cotta-Ramusino, P.

1998-01-01

Two important meetings were held in Como, Italy, at the Centre for Scientific Culture A.Volta on illegal nuclear traffic from research of military and civilian nuclear installations around the world, technologies suitable to detect it and counter measures. This paper summarizes the outcome of these meetings which discussed obstacles existing in control of illegal nuclear material trafficking and indicated specific measures to overcome some of these obstacles. These measures include working out standardised procedures and methodology of analysis of nuclear materials, setting up a civilian world data bank to collect information on the type, features and isotopic composition of stolen materials, development and application of highly sensitive stationary and field detectors and distance monitoring systems

Behavioral Indicators of Legal and Illegal Gun Carrying

Science.gov (United States)

2015-05-01

foundation to develop training for law enforcement and security personnel to utilize behavioral indicators in a safe, legal, and effective manner...hope to develop more efficient and effective means of assisting the police to identify and safely interdict persons carrying illegal firearms. This...by Velcro hook and loop fastener tape. Attached to the elastic wrap is a pocket with a security strap that holds the gun in place. When fastened to

Economic consequences of legal and illegal drugs: The case of social costs in Belgium.

Science.gov (United States)

Lievens, Delfine; Vander Laenen, Freya; Verhaeghe, Nick; Putman, Koen; Pauwels, Lieven; Hardyns, Wim; Annemans, Lieven

2017-06-01

Legal and illegal drugs impose a considerable burden to the individual and to society. The misuse of addictive substances results in healthcare and law enforcement costs, loss of productivity and reduced quality of life. A social cost study was conducted to estimate the substance-attributable costs of alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs and psychoactive medication to Belgian society in 2012. The cost-of-illness framework with prevalence-based and human capital approach was applied. Three cost components were considered: direct, indirect and intangible costs related to substance misuse. The direct and indirect cost of addictive substances was estimated at 4.6 billion euros in Belgium (419 euros per capita or 1.19% of the GDP) and more than 515,000 healthy years are lost due to substance misuse. The Belgian social cost study reaffirms that alcohol and tobacco impose the highest cost to society compared to illegal drugs. Health problems are the main driver of the social cost of legal drugs. Law enforcement expenditure exceed the healthcare costs but only in the case of illegal drugs. Estimating social costs of addictive substances is complex because it is difficult to determine to what extent the societal harm is caused by substances. It can be argued that social cost studies take only a 'snapshot' of the monetary consequences of substance misuse. Nevertheless, the current study offers the most comprehensive analysis thus far of the social costs of substance misuse in Belgium. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An analysis of illegal mining on the Offin shelterbelt forest reserve, Ghana: Implications on community livelihood

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samuel Boadi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Mining in tropical countries contributes significantly to the global minerals supplies but unregulated mining activities in reserved forests is associated with destruction, loss of habitats and loss of biodiversity. This study determined the area of the Offin shelterbelt forest reserve, Ghana, degraded through illegal mining (galamsey and the impacts on the livelihoods of fringe communities. Thirty-two (32 coordinates were recorded around the peripheries of disturbed site in the reserve using hand-held Global Positioning System and were then imported into a geodatabase in ArcGIS which was used to estimate the area degraded. Data was obtained from 60 purposively sampled respondents from two communities fringing the reserve and 10 key informant interviews. Increased income (13%, employment opportunities (6.7% and increased market activities (2% were some benefits of the illegal mining activities identified by the respondents. Eight respondents associated their employment with of the advent of illegal mining activities out which 6 (70% were engaged directly in mining activities, while 2 (30% were into trading. The miners earned cash income range of US $ 2.9–22.9 daily. Within 5 years, illegal mining had degraded 2.5 km2 (4.4% of the total area of the reserve and the destruction of cocoa farms and water sources (31. Farming among respondents reduced from 90% to 76% after illegal mining. The relatively high cost (US$ 6424.1 involved in flushing out and the subsequent return of such miners poses a threat to sustainable forest management and requires a more holistic approach in tackling such a problem.

A STUDY ON LAND SYSTEM INNOVATIONS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SMALL TOWNS IN CHINA

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2002-01-01

The economic development in China and the rising of the living standard need to speed up the urbanisa-tion. The development of small towns is an important way to Chinese urbanisation. Land use plays a very important rolein the development of small towns. However there are many problems in the development of small towns, esp. in landuse. The paper first discusses the land problems in the development of small towns. Such as much cultivated land liesidle, under-utilization and waste of land, increasing illegal use of land, unstable contractual relationship for land use.The relationship between the development of small towns and land use is also studied. Then the guidelines for the landsystem innovations of small towns are put forward. Namely the sustainability of social and economic development, the bal-ance between land reservation and land utilization, the provision of service to village, agriculture and farmer, the manage-ment of land resource and land assets, the parsimonious and legal use of land. The basic framework of land system innova-tions of small towns is put forward finally. It include the land replacement policy for small towns and the permanent tenan-cy of farmland, the overall plan for land uses and other plans in harmony, the establishment of a flexible system of landsupplies, using land with payments, the transfer of agricultural land and refining the land law related to the constructionof small towns.

Not an 'iron pipeline', but many capillaries: regulating passive transactions in Los Angeles' secondary, illegal gun market.

Science.gov (United States)

Chesnut, Kelsie Y; Barragan, Melissa; Gravel, Jason; Pifer, Natalie A; Reiter, Keramet; Sherman, Nicole; Tita, George E

2017-08-01

California has strict firearm-related laws and is exceptional in its regulation of firearms retailers. Though evidence suggests that these laws can reduce illegal access to guns, high levels of gun violence persist in Los Angeles (LA), California. This research seeks to describe the sources of guns accessed by active offenders in LA, California and reports offenders' motivations for obtaining guns. Los Angeles County Jail (LACJ) system (four facilities). Random sampling from a screened pool of eligible participants was used to conduct qualitative semistructured interviews with 140 incarcerated gun offenders in one of four (LACJ) facilities. Researchers collected data on firearm acquisition, experiences related to gun violence, and other topics, using a validated survey instrument. Grounded theory guided the collection and analysis of data. Respondents reported possession of 77 specific guns (79.2% handguns) collectively. Social networks facilitate access to illegal guns; the majority of interviewees acquired their illegal guns through a social connection (85.7%) versus an outside broker/unregulated retailer (8.5%). Most guns were obtained through illegal purchase (n=51) or gift (n=15). A quarter of gun purchasers report engaging in a passive transaction, or one initiated by another party. Passive gun buyers were motivated by concerns for personal safety and/or economic opportunity. In LA's illegal gun market, where existing social relationships facilitate access to guns across a diffuse network, individuals, influenced by both fear and economic opportunity, have frequent opportunities to illegally possess firearms through passive transactions. Gun policies should better target and minimise these transactions. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

International Suspect Screening: NORMAN Suspect Exchange meets the US EPA CompTox Chemistry Dashboard (ICCE 2017 Oslo)

Science.gov (United States)

Members of the European NORMAN Network of Environmental Laboratories (www.norman-network.com) have many substance lists, including targets, suspects, surfactants, perfluorinated substances and regulated, partially confidential data sets of complex mixtures. The NORMAN Suspect Lis...

Illegal Serbian Structures in the Republic of Kosovo Why these structures are illegal and not paralel?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Behar Selimi

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This paper argues that Serb structures, operating in Kosovo after the forced withdrawal under NATO intervention of Serb-Yugoslav mechanisms of power from Kosovo in June 1999 which marks the end of the war and at the same time the beginning of a new process of peace building, do not represent parallel structures, rather they represent illegal structures. This paper argues that these kinds of structures achieved to be established and being continuesly strengthened due to multi-dimensional support of the Republic of Serbia which for its interest needed them to undermine the establishment of functional governance overall in Kosovo but predominantly in the Serb enclaves, and also due to UN Interim Administration in Kosovo which’s main interest was peace and stability not functionality of governance. In this paper, it is also argued that these Serb structures do not represent the majority of Serbs living in Kosovo because they are incorporated into the constitutional institutions of the Rrepublic of Kosovo. Through comparing main domestic and international documents by which UN Interim Administration and National Institutions of Governance were established and also data gathered in the field through different reports, this paper concludes that: these structures are unconstitutional structures, and therefore illegal, rather than parallel structures; consideration of them as parallel by UN Interim Administration was a mistake which negatively affected integration, development, and democratization of a part of the Serbian community in Kosovo’s northern municipalities; they are also supported by criminal structures which seriously impede the exercise of state power, the legal system, and the development of democracy predominantly in the northern part of Kosovo; and beside of political and diplomatic efforts, a state organized force with an international support is the only answer to criminal structures.

Drivers of illegal livelihoods in remote transboundary regions: the case of the Trans-Fly region of Papua New Guinea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Busilacchi

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Remote transboundary regions in developing countries often contain abundant natural resources. Many of these resources are being overexploited to supply an ever-increasing demand from Asia, often via illegal cross-border trade. Understanding the systemic issues that drive households to engage in illegal activities in transboundary regions is a prerequisite for designing effective interventions and diverting livelihoods toward sustainable trajectories, but is rarely applied. This study analyzed the drivers of illegal trade in marine products, e.g. sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish bladders, among coastal villages in Papua New Guinea that border Indonesia and Australia in the Trans-Fly region. Mixed-methods (household questionnaire surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews were applied to triangulate results and minimize denial bias, which is a challenge when studying illegality. Results indicated that distance from markets and economic centers was the main driver for engagement in illegal activity, and distance from a center was also the main driver of poverty. Contrary to studies elsewhere, we found that poverty did not generally drive households' engagement in illegal trade. Only in Daru, the primary economic hub, where immigrants from the areas impacted by the Ok Tedi mine operations have resettled, were the poorest households likely to be involved in illegal trade, because they had no alternative sources of livelihood. Weak governance exacerbates the situation, which includes corruption, a lack of enforcement, and poor coordination among government levels, and a breakdown of traditional resource management systems. Respondents highlighted that current bilateral border agreements are outdated and cannot account for modernization, a globalizing economy, and communities' rapid transition to a cash economy. Our findings emphasize the need to find innovative governance solutions to manage this stressed social

Social costs of illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco in the European Union: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Barrio, Pablo; Reynolds, Jillian; García-Altés, Anna; Gual, Antoni; Anderson, Peter

2017-09-01

Drug use accounts for one of the main disease groups in Europe, with relevant consequences to society. There is an increasing need to evaluate the economic consequences of drug use in order to develop appropriate policies. Here, we review the social costs of illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco in the European Union. A systematic search of relevant databases was conducted. Grey literature and previous systematic reviews were also searched. Studies reporting on social costs of illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco were included. Methodology, cost components as well as costs were assessed from individual studies. To compare across studies, final costs were transformed to 2014 Euros. Forty-five studies reported in 43 papers met the inclusion criteria (11 for illegal drugs, 26 for alcohol and 8 for tobacco). While there was a constant inclusion of direct costs related to treatment of substance use and comorbidities, there was a high variability for the rest of cost components. Total costs showed also a great variability. Price per capita for the year 2014 ranged from €0.38 to €78 for illegal drugs, from €26 to €1500 for alcohol and from €10.55 to €391 for tobacco. Drug use imposes a heavy economic burden to Europe. However, given the high existing heterogeneity in methodologies, and in order to better assess the burden and thus to develop adequate policies, standardised methodological guidance is needed. [Barrio P, Reynolds J, García-Altés A, Gual A, Anderson P. Social costs of illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco in the European Union: A systematic review. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017;00:000-000]. © 2017 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Diagnostic overview of the illegal trade in primates and law enforcement in Peru.

Science.gov (United States)

Shanee, Noga; Mendoza, A Patricia; Shanee, Sam

2017-11-01

Peru has one of the richest primate faunas of any country. The illegal trade in wild primates is one of the largest threats to this fauna in Peru. We characterize the illegal trade in primates through empirical and ethnographic data. We collected data from traffic routes and centers throughout Peru and evaluate current efforts to combat this traffic. Based on our findings from 2,070 instances of wildlife crime involving 6,872 primates, we estimate the domestic trade in primates for pets and bushmeat in Peru in the hundreds of thousands per year, with the larger bodied Atelidae facing the highest direct consequences. We found that government authorities lack sufficient staff, capacity, resources, infrastructure, and protocols to efficiently combat illegal trade in primates. Also, the complicated legal framework and lack of cooperation and antagonism with the public further limit these efforts. Wildlife authorities in Peru are able to confiscate only a fraction of primates traded and mostly intervene in cases of private pet owners rather than traffickers. We estimate that the current rate of illegal trade in primates is comparable to levels of trade prior to the 1973 ban on primates' exportation. The combination of direct observations on primate trade and ethnographic data allows a comprehensive look at primate trade in Peru. We call upon decision makers and international funders to channel their efforts toward "on the ground" actions such as increasing the ability of the authorities to act, giving them "in action" training in law enforcement and establishing strict control measures against corruption. Am. J. Primatol. 79:e22516, 2017. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Anti-leptospiral agglutinins in marmosets (Saguinus oedipus and Saguinus leucopus from illegal trade

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Viviana Gonzalez-Astudillo

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Objective. Determine the infection status with pathogenic Leptospira of one Saguinus oedipus and nine Saguinus leucopus at the Cali Zoo that had been confiscated in Colombia from illegal trade. Materials and methods. A full physical examination, blood work, urinalysis were conducted in all individuals during the reception health check-up, in addition to running the microagglutination test with a pool of 19 serovars, with a starting dilution of 1:50. Results. A high positive titer (≥1:3200 to Leptospira alexanderi serovar manhao in an asymptomatic S. oedipus was detected. All S. leucopus tested negative or less than 1:50. Conclusions. Captive locations have been documented to artificially enhance opportunities to come into contact with contaminated bodily fluids from peridomestic rodents. However, infectious diseases acquired during the illegal transport of wildlife to major metropolitan centers are rarely considered a wildlife conservation or public health threat. Infection with zoonotic pathogens should also be considered an additional threat to endangered wild primates involved in illegal trade, which could hamper reintroduction efforts or other population management procedures for primate species with restricted and fragmented distributions.

The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Cause for National Concern

Science.gov (United States)

2007-02-28

was officially terminated in 1964. However, illegal aliens were recruited in large numbers well after the Bracero program .24 For almost ten years...Mexico has its official roots in the demise of the Bracero program . Employers had become accustomed to cheap Mexican labor and were willing to ignore

Legal and Illegal Colours

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, John Christian

2008-01-01

opinions on food additives, including colours, and on the bioavailability and safety of nutrient sources. The WG ADD consists of several members from the AFC Panel together with selected external experts. The draft opinions go forward to the AFC Panel for discussion and final adoption. The adopted opinions......://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/efsa_locale-1178620753812_1178620761956.htm. Accessed 12.05.08.] this paper only deals with some of the major issues that the Panel has faced in relation to the use of food colours. The three topics to be dealt with are (1) evaluation of illegal colours in food in the EU (EFSA, 2005), (2) re-evaluation of the authorised...... food colours in the EU (ongoing, but one opinion on Red 2G has been published; EFSA, 2007), and (3) evaluation of 'the Southampton study' on hyperactivity in children after intake of food colours (and sodium benzoate) (ongoing at the time of this presentation, but an opinion has now been published...

Landing on the Beaches: the Functioning of the Brazilian Slave Trade After 1831

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Marcus J. M. de Carvalho

2012-12-01

Full Text Available After 1831, the slave trade moved to natural harbors on the littoral, where it employed scores of people catering, healing, guarding the survivors, burying the dead. Smaller boats also helped the slave ships to reach the coast. The local population found new opportunities of employment and trade. Slave dealers had to buy or rent those lands, or associate themselves with their owners. The illegal slave trade would change the local economy and politics.

Spooky Suspects

Science.gov (United States)

Pacifici, Lara

2011-01-01

This activity presents an option for covering biology content while engaging students in an investigation that highlights the spirit of Halloween. Students are engaged in the story line and have fun trying to solve the mystery kidnapping by using science skills to examine the evidence and eliminate some ghoulish suspects. (Contains 1 figure.)

Lineup composition, suspect position, and the sequential lineup advantage.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, Curt A; Gronlund, Scott D; Clark, Steven E

2008-06-01

N. M. Steblay, J. Dysart, S. Fulero, and R. C. L. Lindsay (2001) argued that sequential lineups reduce the likelihood of mistaken eyewitness identification. Experiment 1 replicated the design of R. C. L. Lindsay and G. L. Wells (1985), the first study to show the sequential lineup advantage. However, the innocent suspect was chosen at a lower rate in the simultaneous lineup, and no sequential lineup advantage was found. This led the authors to hypothesize that protection from a sequential lineup might emerge only when an innocent suspect stands out from the other lineup members. In Experiment 2, participants viewed a simultaneous or sequential lineup with either the guilty suspect or 1 of 3 innocent suspects. Lineup fairness was varied to influence the degree to which a suspect stood out. A sequential lineup advantage was found only for the unfair lineups. Additional analyses of suspect position in the sequential lineups showed an increase in the diagnosticity of suspect identifications as the suspect was placed later in the sequential lineup. These results suggest that the sequential lineup advantage is dependent on lineup composition and suspect position. (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved

[Parent discourse on legal and illegal drugs use perceived by university students].

Science.gov (United States)

Suárez, Rosa Elba Sánchez; Galera, Sueli Aparecida Frari

2004-01-01

The problems related to use and abuse of legal and illegal drugs are considered worldwide epidemic. Although the drug use is considered an individual decision it is important to stress the role of the family in the conservation and changes of habits, custom and behaviours among family members and among generations. This study aimed to identify parents' discourses about legal and illegal drugs and to explore the divergences and agreements in their discourses. The research was conducted through individual interviews with 13 university students at Bogotá. The interviews were analysed with the focus on systemic theory, constructivism and narrative analysis. In the results emerged the a) the patriarchal culture context and expectance on the genre role, b) three kinds of parents discourses that present divergences and agreements typical of the nuclear family.

The Impact of the Crisis on Illegal Employment of Foreigners and the Related Policy - Case study: Czech Republic

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Vera–Karin BRAZOVA

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of the article is to provide a critical perspective of the public policy measures to tackle the illegal employment of foreigners in the Czech Republic taken by the Czech government in the wake of the global financial crisis. In the introductory part of the article, the problem of illegal employment of migrants in the Czech Republic is delimitated and put into a theoretical context. Based on the study of official documents as well as on expert interviews, the analysis of the changes in the public policy dealing with the problem of illegal employment is conducted. While the crisis triggered a more open public debate and brought the problem on the agenda of some core public policy actors and while new measures were taken to address the issue, some of the main underlying problems remain unaddressed. In the final part, a possible future development in the area of illegal employment of migrants is outlined, drawing on the global labor migration trends as well as on the current public policy practice in the Czech Republic.

Assessing the Land Subsidence Governance in Ningbo City: By a Close Study of the Building Collapse at the Strictly Protected Land Subsidence Area

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Xia

2016-04-01

Ningbo is a coastal city in East China, its land subsidence problem was noticed in the 1960s. However, scientific management was insufficient at that time, so with the fast city development from the 1980s, groundwater was used by a large amount of small factories, and tall buildings were built on the land. It was in 2008, scientists predicted that if without doing anything to prevent the land from subsiding, the city will be covered by the East Sea in 2030. From then on, the local government implied several policies, such as shut down most of the groundwater pumping wells, set up a new authority to enhance the cooperation among different administration departments, and also set up a land subsidence monitoring center for the city. Recently, it is declared that a Stereo regulatory system of land subsidence governance has been achieved. However, in 2012, a 23-years old building in the city center collapsed. According to the City Planning 2009, this building is located just in the strictly protected land subsidence area. The experts, however, think that land subsidence is not the main reason, since there are many illegal changes to the building during the past 23 years. The aim of my research is to assess the land subsidence governance in Ningbo city. I studied the collapsed building, how it was built, what has changed after building, how the environment changed in this area, and how this area became the strictly protected land subsidence area, and what kind of protections have been made. Actually, during the case study I discuss the land subsidence governance design of Ningbo, and to see what practices and lessons we can learn from this case.

[Current situation with abortion in Colombia: between illegality and reality].

Science.gov (United States)

González Vélez, Ana Cristina

2005-01-01

This article discusses the illegality of abortion in Colombia, situating this country within the 0.4% of the world population where abortion is completely banned. Absolute criminalization of abortion turns it into a public health matter and produces social inequality. The Colombian legislation has always disregarded women as individuals and as persons in full possession of their legal rights. In contrast to a comprehensive conceptualization of sexual and reproductive rights, the various abortion bills merely refer either to "morally unacceptable" situations such as pregnancy resulting from rape or to therapeutic motives. Contradictions between illegality and reality give rise to a public discourse that features rejection of abortion practices, in keeping with the prevailing stance of the ecclesiastic hierarchy, while in practice, and at the private level, people resort to voluntary interruption of pregnancy under conditions of safety and confidentiality, at least for women from the higher socioeconomic strata. This situation not only causes social inequality but also reflects how laws lose meaning and create the collective impression of being useless or unnecessary, thus undermining the state's governing role.

Risks, prices, and positions: A social network analysis of illegal drug trafficking in the world-economy.

Science.gov (United States)

Boivin, Rémi

2014-03-01

Illegal drug prices are extremely high, compared to similar goods. There is, however, considerable variation in value depending on place, market level and type of drugs. A prominent framework for the study of illegal drugs is the "risks and prices" model (Reuter & Kleiman, 1986). Enforcement is seen as a "tax" added to the regular price. In this paper, it is argued that such economic models are not sufficient to explain price variations at country-level. Drug markets are analysed as global trade networks in which a country's position has an impact on various features, including illegal drug prices. This paper uses social network analysis (SNA) to explain price markups between pairs of countries involved in the trafficking of illegal drugs between 1998 and 2007. It aims to explore a simple question: why do prices increase between two countries? Using relational data from various international organizations, separate trade networks were built for cocaine, heroin and cannabis. Wholesale price markups are predicted with measures of supply, demand, risks of seizures, geographic distance and global positioning within the networks. Reported prices (in $US) and purchasing power parity-adjusted values are analysed. Drug prices increase more sharply when drugs are headed to countries where law enforcement imposes higher costs on traffickers. The position and role of a country in global drug markets are also closely associated with the value of drugs. Price markups are lower if the destination country is a transit to large potential markets. Furthermore, price markups for cocaine and heroin are more pronounced when drugs are exported to countries that are better positioned in the legitimate world-economy, suggesting that relations in legal and illegal markets are directed in opposite directions. Consistent with the world-system perspective, evidence is found of coherent world drug markets driven by both local realities and international relations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B

A Mixed-Method Approach for Quantifying Illegal Fishing and Its Impact on an Endangered Fish Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Free, Christopher M; Jensen, Olaf P; Mendsaikhan, Bud

2015-01-01

Illegal harvest is recognized as a widespread problem in natural resource management. The use of multiple methods for quantifying illegal harvest has been widely recommended yet infrequently applied. We used a mixed-method approach to evaluate the extent, character, and motivations of illegal gillnet fishing in Lake Hovsgol National Park, Mongolia and its impact on the lake's fish populations, especially that of the endangered endemic Hovsgol grayling (Thymallus nigrescens). Surveys for derelict fishing gear indicate that gillnet fishing is widespread and increasing and that fishers generally use 3-4 cm mesh gillnet. Interviews with resident herders and park rangers suggest that many residents fish for subsistence during the spring grayling spawning migration and that some residents fish commercially year-round. Interviewed herders and rangers generally agree that fish population sizes are decreasing but are divided on the causes and solutions. Biological monitoring indicates that the gillnet mesh sizes used by fishers efficiently target Hovsgol grayling. Of the five species sampled in the monitoring program, only burbot (Lota lota) showed a significant decrease in population abundance from 2009-2013. However, grayling, burbot, and roach (Rutilus rutilus) all showed significant declines in average body size, suggesting a negative fishing impact. Data-poor stock assessment methods suggest that the fishing effort equivalent to each resident family fishing 50-m of gillnet 11-15 nights per year would be sufficient to overexploit the grayling population. Results from the derelict fishing gear survey and interviews suggest that this level of effort is not implausible. Overall, we demonstrate the ability for a mixed-method approach to effectively describe an illegal fishery and suggest that these methods be used to assess illegal fishing and its impacts in other protected areas.

Seasonal variation among tuberculosis suspects in four countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mabaera, Biggie; Naranbat, Nymadawa; Katamba, Achilles

2009-01-01

The objective of the study was to analyze monthly trends across a calendar year in tuberculosis suspects and sputum smear-positive cases based on nationally representative samples of tuberculosis laboratory registers from Moldova, Mongolia, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Out of the 47 140 suspects registered...... in the tuberculosis laboratory registers, 13.4% (6312) were cases. The proportion varied from country to country, Moldova having the lowest (9%) and Uganda the highest (21%). From the monthly proportion of suspects and cases among total suspects and cases, seasonal variations were most marked in Mongolia which, among...... attendance to diagnostic laboratory services, evidenced by the contrasting findings of Mongolia (extreme continental northern climate) compared to Uganda (equatorial climate). A combination of external and possibly endogenous factors seems to determine whether tuberculosis suspects and cases present...

Regional characterization of suspected land Punta del Este ( east of the Republica Oriental del Uruguay )

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preciozzi, F.; Sanchez Bettucci, L.; Oyhantcabal, P.; Pecoits, E.; Aubet, N.; Peel, E.; Basei, M.

2003-01-01

Field Suspect Punta del Este (TSPE) is located in the easternmost portion of Uruguay (Figure 1). This is bounded to the west by Shear Zone Punta del Este-Cordillera (Masquelin, 1990; Preciozzi et al., 1999; 2002), while the east with Rocha makes Formation (Hasui et al, 1975;.. Sanchez-Bettucci and Mezzano, 1993). The TSPE is represented by gneisses and Migmatites formed in the range of 1100 and 630 Ma (Preciozzi et al, in prep.) and have been intensively reworked during Rio Doce orogeny (ca. 600 Ma). Field Suspect Punta del Este (TSPE) is separated from the Neoproterozoic granitoids or granitoids by central Shear Zone Punta del Este-Cordillera represented by a thin strip of mylonite s and gneisses mylonitic able to anatexis. Granitoids are sub alkaline trend throughout of this guideline. The mylonitic foliation has a general direction between N15ºE and N40ºE with sub vertical slope where development ductile quartz and muscovite bands observed (Figure 2). The base of TSPE consists essentially of porphyritic granitoids deformed with biotite and muscovite, and ortho gneisses oftalmíticos granitoids, showing an attenuation of that reaching isotropic deformation terms. From studies in zircons from a sample of ortho gneisses (UCUR 03) by U / Pb conventional and SHRIMP ages of 753 ± 14 Ma for the edge obtained (consistent with the conventional age) and 1000 Ma for zircon center. This has allowed us to recognize in the protoliths one Grenvillian heritage in this area, preserved during crustal melting processes. Also, new U / Pb (Preciozzi et al., In prep.) Data show a orogénesis penicontemporánea to the Brasiliano cycle would be responsible for most of the generation of the rocks that make up the TSPE

Selecting foils for identification lineups: matching suspects or descriptions?

Science.gov (United States)

Tunnicliff, J L; Clark, S E

2000-04-01

Two experiments directly compare two methods of selecting foils for identification lineups. The suspect-matched method selects foils based on their match to the suspect, whereas the description-matched method selects foils based on their match to the witness's description of the perpetrator. Theoretical analyses and previous results predict an advantage for description-matched lineups both in terms of correctly identifying the perpetrator and minimizing false identification of innocent suspects. The advantage for description-matched lineups should be particularly pronounced if the foils selected in suspect-matched lineups are too similar to the suspect. In Experiment 1, the lineups were created by trained police officers, and in Experiment 2, the lineups were constructed by undergraduate college students. The results of both experiments showed higher suspect-to-foil similarity for suspect-matched lineups than for description-matched lineups. However, neither experiment showed a difference in correct or false identification rates. Both experiments did, however, show that there may be an advantage for suspect-matched lineups in terms of no-pick and rejection responses. From these results, the endorsement of one method over the other seems premature.

Movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Exploring Illegal Streaming Cyberlockers

OpenAIRE

Ibosiola, Damilola; Steer, Benjamin; Garcia-Recuero, Alvaro; Stringhini, Gianluca; Uhlig, Steve; Tyson, Gareth

2018-01-01

Online video piracy (OVP) is a contentious topic, with strong proponents on both sides of the argument. Recently, a number of illegal websites, called streaming cyberlockers, have begun to dominate OVP. These websites specialise in distributing pirated content, underpinned by third party indexing services offering easy-to-access directories of content. This paper performs the first exploration of this new ecosystem. It characterises the content, as well the streaming cyberlockers' individual ...

A Case of Nonthrombotic Pulmonary Embolism after Facial Injection of Hyaluronic Acid in an Illegal Cosmetic Procedure

OpenAIRE

Jang, Jong Geol; Hong, Kyung Soo; Choi, Eun Young

2014-01-01

Hyaluronic acid is widely used in medical procedures, particularly in cosmetic procedures administered by physicians or nonmedical personnel. The materials used for cosmetic procedures by physicians as well as illegally by non-medical personnel can cause nonthrombotic pulmonary embolism (NTPE). We report the case of a woman with acute respiratory failure, neurologic symptoms and petechiae after an illegal procedure of hyaluronic acid dermal filler performed by an unlicensed medical practition...

"Unequal opportunity": neighbourhood disadvantage and the chance to buy illegal drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Storr, C L; Chen, C-Y; Anthony, J C

2004-03-01

This study investigates whether subgroups of people living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods may be more likely to come into contact with drug dealers as compared with persons living in more advantaged areas, with due attention to male-female and race-ethnicity differences. Standardised survey data collected using stratified, multistage area probability sampling. United States of America, 1998. Nationally representative sample of household residents age 12 or older (n = 25 500). Evidence supports an inference that women are less likely to be approached by someone selling illegal drugs. The study found no more than modest and generally null racial and ethnicity differences, even for residents living within socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods, where chances to buy illegal drugs are found to be more common. Limitations of survey data always merit attention, but this study evidence lends support to the inference that physical and social characteristics of a neighbourhood can set the stage for opportunities to become involved with drugs.

Comparison of clinically suspected injuries with injuries detected at whole-body CT in suspected multi-trauma victims

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shannon, L.; Peachey, T.; Skipper, N.; Adiotomre, E.; Chopra, A.; Marappan, B.; Kotnis, N.

2015-01-01

Aim: To assess the accuracy of the trauma team leader's clinical suspicion of injury in patients who have undergone whole-body computed tomography (WBCT) for suspected polytrauma, and to assess the frequency of unsuspected injuries and specific patterns of injury at WBCT. Materials and methods: Requests for patients who underwent WBCT for suspected polytrauma from April 2011 to March 2014 were reviewed and each body area that was clinically suspected to be injured was recorded. Body areas were divided into the following groups based on anatomical regions covered in each segment of the WBCT examination: head (including facial bones); neck (including cervical spine); chest (including thoracic spine); and abdomen/pelvis (including lumbar spine). The formal radiology report for each study was reviewed and injuries found at CT were grouped into the same body areas. For each patient, the number of clinically suspected injured areas was compared to the number of confirmed injured areas at WBCT. Results: Five hundred and eighty-eight patients were included in the study. Thirty-two percent (186/588) had a normal scan. Ninety-three percent (546/588) had fewer injured body areas at WBCT than suspected. Four percent (27/588) had the equivalent number of injured areas at WBCT as suspected. Three percent (15/588) had more injured areas at WBCT than suspected. Fifty percent (263/527) with clinically suspected chest injuries were confirmed to have chest injuries at WBCT. This was lower for other areas: abdomen/pelvis 31% (165/535); head 29% (155/533); neck 13% (66/513). Four percent of (24/588) patients had unsuspected injuries found at WBCT. Seventy-five percent (18/24) of unsuspected injuries were considered as serious, where failure to treat would have the potential for significant morbidity. Most of these patients had severe injuries to other body areas that were correctly suspected. Of the 165 with abdominal/pelvic region injuries, there were associated injuries in the

Private or Public Law Enforcement? The Case of Digital Piracy Policies with Non-monitored Illegal Behaviors

OpenAIRE

Éric Darmon; Thomas Le Texier

2014-01-01

In the case of digital piracy should rights be publicly or privately enforced? The emergence of large-scale anti-piracy laws and the existence of non-monitored illegal channels raise important issues for the design of digital anti-piracy policies. In this paper, we study the impact of these two enforcement settings (public vs. private) in the presence of an illegal non-monitored outside option for users. Taking account of market outcomes, we show that in both cases, the optimal strategies of ...

Analysis and design of Cubesat constellation for the Mediterranean south costal monitoring against illegal immigration

Science.gov (United States)

Lazreg, Nissen; Ben Bahri, Omar; Besbes, Kamel

2018-02-01

Costal monitoring is focused on fast response to illegal immigration and illegal ship traffic. Especially, the illegal ship traffic has been present in media since April 2015, as the number of reported deaths of immigrants crossing the Mediterranean significantly increased. Satellite images provide a possibility to at least partially control both types of events. This paper defines the principal criteria to select the best satellite constellation architecture for maritime and coastal monitoring, filling the gaps of imagery techniques in term of real-time control. The primary purpose of a constellation is to obtain global measurement improving the temporal resolution. The small size and low-cost are the main factors, which make CubeSats ideal for use in constellations. We propose a constellation of 9 Cubesats distributed evenly in 3 different planes. This reduces the revisit time enhancing the coverage duration. In addition, it also allows observing fire, damage on building and similar disasters. In this analysis, the performance criteria were reported such as the revisit time, the vision duration and the area coverage.

A rapid situation assessment of the market for surrogate and illegal alcohols in Tallinn, Estonia.

Science.gov (United States)

Pärna, Kersti; Lang, Katrin; Raju, Kadi; Väli, Marika; McKee, Martin

2007-01-01

To understand the phenomenon of consumption of surrogate and illegal alcohols in Tallinn, capital of Estonia. This study, conducted in Tallinn in May 2006, used rapid situation assessment. Interviews with key informants in relevant settings such as emergency departments of hospitals, accommodation for the homeless, police etc. (n = 22), with alcohol abusers (n = 33), natural observations of surrogate sale and consumption venues (n = 46), and tracking of trade data were carried out. Key informants confirmed that consumption of illegal and surrogate alcohols are widely used by alcohol abusers, a finding confirmed by the alcohol abusers. Availability of surrogates varied by area of the city, mainly sold from street kiosks. Illegally produced spirits were also easily available. Sales of surrogates appear to have increased in recent years. A range of alcohol-containing substances that appear to be easily available at low cost, and that have high concentration of ethanol or contaminants known to be toxic, were identified in Tallinn. Alcohol policies in Estonia should address the consumption and availability of these substances.

Introduction of African swine fever into the European Union through illegal importation of pork and pork products.

Science.gov (United States)

Costard, Solenne; Jones, Bryony Anne; Martínez-López, Beatriz; Mur, Lina; de la Torre, Ana; Martínez, Marta; Sánchez-Vizcaíno, Fernando; Sánchez-Vizcaíno, Jose-Manuel; Pfeiffer, Dirk Udo; Wieland, Barbara

2013-01-01

Transboundary animal diseases can have very severe socio-economic impacts when introduced into new regions. The history of disease incursions into the European Union suggests that initial outbreaks were often initiated by illegal importation of meat and derived products. The European Union would benefit from decision-support tools to evaluate the risk of disease introduction caused by illegal imports in order to inform its surveillance strategy. However, due to the difficulty in quantifying illegal movements of animal products, very few studies of this type have been conducted. Using African swine fever as an example, this work presents a novel risk assessment framework for disease introduction into the European Union through illegal importation of meat and products. It uses a semi-quantitative approach based on factors that likely influence the likelihood of release of contaminated smuggled meat and products, and subsequent exposure of the susceptible population. The results suggest that the European Union is at non-negligible risk of African swine fever introduction through illegal importation of pork and products. On a relative risk scale with six categories from negligible to very high, five European Union countries were estimated at high (France, Germany, Italy and United Kingdom) or moderate (Spain) risk of African swine fever release, five countries were at high risk of exposure if African swine fever were released (France, Italy, Poland, Romania and Spain) and ten countries had a moderate exposure risk (Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Sweden and United Kingdom). The approach presented here and results obtained for African swine fever provide a basis for the enhancement of risk-based surveillance systems and disease prevention programmes in the European Union.

Determination And Characteristic Oil Biomarker Of Illegal Crude Oil Production Using Mass Spectroscopy in Musi Banyuasin District

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edhi suryanto

2018-03-01

Full Text Available South Sumatra is one of the largest petroleum producing provinces in Indonesia, especially in the region of Musi Banyuasin Petroleum resources other than legally cultivated by Pertamina as government representatives, but on the other hand the community also participate through Illegal Drilling activities. This study aims to determine the hydrocarbon content and characterization of petroleum produced illegally by communities in the Sangadesa, Babattoman and Keluang districts through the biomarker analysis of the distribution of n-Alkane C10-C34 (m/z: 57, pristane, phytane, sterane C27-C29 (m/z: 217,218,259 and specific biomarker using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy agilent GCMSD 6890/5973i with data analysis using MSD Chemstation F.01.01.2317 and Library Database NIST14. Petroleum samples taken from 10 illegal wells with a depth range of 80-250 meters and production period of 3 months until 3 years. Oil is produced through The illegal drilling is not the main oil source rock but the result of migration. Biomarkers Hydrocarbon analysis is one of the most widely used devices for exploration geochemistry, exploitation, production and forensic environment in the assessment and determination of sources of pollution related to petroleum material and derivatives very well.

Interviewing strategically to elicit admissions from guilty suspects.

Science.gov (United States)

Tekin, Serra; Granhag, Pär Anders; Strömwall, Leif; Giolla, Erik Mac; Vrij, Aldert; Hartwig, Maria

2015-06-01

In this article we introduce a novel interviewing tactic to elicit admissions from guilty suspects. By influencing the suspects' perception of the amount of evidence the interviewer holds against them, we aimed to shift the suspects' counterinterrogation strategies from less to more forthcoming. The proposed tactic (SUE-Confrontation) is a development of the Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) framework and aims to affect the suspects' perception by confronting them with statement-evidence inconsistencies. Participants (N = 90) were asked to perform several mock criminal tasks before being interviewed using 1 of 3 interview techniques: (a) SUE-Confrontation, (b) Early Disclosure of Evidence, or (c) No Disclosure of Evidence. As predicted, the SUE-Confrontation interview generated more statement-evidence inconsistencies from suspects than the Early Disclosure interview. Importantly, suspects in the SUE-Confrontation condition (vs. Early and No disclosure conditions) admitted more self-incriminating information and also perceived the interviewer to have had more information about the critical phase of the crime (the phase where the interviewer lacked evidence). The findings show the adaptability of the SUE-technique and how it may be used as a tool for eliciting admissions. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

A New Business: Redirecting Black Youth from the Illegal Economy

Science.gov (United States)

Cox Edmondson, Vickie

2009-01-01

Young Black males are an at-risk group for earning a living through illegal activities in the U.S. As with most at-risk groups, concerted efforts have been made to help prepare them to become viable contributors and valued members of society. Anecdotal evidence shows that faculty members have also tried to reach out and influence young Black males…

Necessary, sufficient and contributory factors generating illegal economic activity, and specifically drug-related activity, in Colombia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco E. Thoumi

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The international drug control regime is formulated under a basic paradigm: all drugs included in the convention schedules I, II and IV can only have medical and research uses. The policies derived from these conventions forbid all recreational, ritual, experimental, or self-medicating consumption of coca, cocaine, opium, heroin, marijuana and many other drugs. The conventions allow the production of controlled drugs for medical and research uses and criminalize all other production. Where consumption is concerned they are less rigid, as users of illegal drugs do not have to be arrested or jailed. Anti-drug policies seek to suppress both illicit drug supply and demand but are formulated without clearly spelling out the reasons why there is a demand and a supply for illegal drugs. To understand illegal drug demand and supply it is necessary to have clear answers to fundamental criminological questions such as: Why do people commit crimes? Or why some individuals contravene formal or informal norms while others do not? Policymakers, however, do not hesitate to formulate and implement anti-drug policies without having first considered those questions. They proceed as if their answers were obvious or known. Yet, when asked about the reasons why the illegal drugs industry develops in a location, most answers are highly questionable and at best partially right. The aim of this essay is to show this using Colombia as an example.

7 CFR 1773.9 - Disclosure of fraud, illegal acts, and other noncompliance.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

..., the auditor must design the audit to provide reasonable assurance of detecting fraud that is material... UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) POLICY ON AUDITS OF RUS BORROWERS RUS Audit... statements, auditors should apply audit procedures specifically directed to ascertaining whether an illegal...

Cut and Run: Illegal Logging and Timber Trade in the Tropics | IDRC ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Illegal logging and trade in timber is a major cause of forest degradation in the world ... But controlling this global problem is not a simple matter of enacting new laws ... practices in the logging industry and timber trade of four tropical countries.

Risk classification for nuclear facilities in connection with the illegal use of nuclear materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bahm, W.; Naegele, G.; Sellinschegg, D.

1976-01-01

It is shown, and illustrated by an example, that specific conditions at a nuclear facility to a large extent determine the probability of a successful illegal attack against that facility. Therefore, a categorization of nuclear materials according to the associated hazards alone, as practised currently, does not appear to be sufficient for the establishment of a balanced national physical protection system. In this paper a possible way of categorizing nuclear facilities according to the associated risks, determined as objectively as possible, is discussed. It is felt that initially the analysis should be restricted to the determination of the conditional risks, associated with illegal acquisition and use of radioactive materials by a postulated hostile or similar group. (author)

ASSESSMENT OF ILLEGAL CAPITAL FLOWS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

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Tatiana PETROVA

2017-02-01

Full Text Available This paper analyses the existent methodologies used in international practice to estimate illegalcapital outflows. Also, authors carried out an assessment of the illegal capital outflows in the Republic ofMoldova on the basis of two models: the general method based on the balance of payments and the WorldBank’s "residual" model. The paper reflects the exceptional situation of the financial system of theRepublic of Moldova and trends in evolution of capital flows. The analysis of illegal flows should be partof the monitoring system of the country’s financial stability, which will allow identifying in time negativetrends that threaten Moldova's financial security. The main research methods were systemic analysis andlogic synthesis; data analysis and interpretation; statistical methods, etc. The main conclusionsobtained within the research of this topic are: for more reliable estimates for analytical purposes, it isnecessary to develop an adequate methodological base that would help to measure and analyze shadowcross-border flows; for the assessment of the financial security of the Republic of Moldova, as a transitioneconomy, it is important to monitor, analyze and forecast a broader list of financial indicators, as well astheir critical values.

Psychopathology and resident status - comparing asylum seekers, refugees, illegal migrants, labor migrants, and residents.

Science.gov (United States)

Heeren, Martina; Wittmann, Lutz; Ehlert, Ulrike; Schnyder, Ulrich; Maier, Thomas; Müller, Julia

2014-05-01

This study aimed to describe, compare, and predict mental health outcomes of different migrant groups and native residents in Switzerland. Asylum seekers (n=65); refugees holding permanent protection visas (n=34); illegal migrants (n=21); labor migrants (n=26); and residents (n=56) completed an assessment by questionnaire. Main outcome variables were symptoms of posttraumatic stress, anxiety and depression. It was tested whether resident status predicted psychopathology over and above the influence of control variables including social desirability, traumatic event types and post-migration resources. Asylum seekers (54.0%) and refugees (41.4%) fulfilled criteria of PTSD most frequently. Clinically relevant symptoms of anxiety and depression were most frequently reported by asylum seekers (84.6% and 63.1%, resp.) and illegal migrants (both 47.6%). Resident status contributed to psychopathology over and above the influence of control variables. Overall, asylum seekers, refugees, and illegal migrants showed high psychiatric morbidity. Differences in resident status appear to be specifically associated with mental health outcomes. This association persists even when controlling for social desirability, post-migration resources and traumatic events. This emphasizes the importance of current socio-political living conditions for mental health, even with respect to the psychopathological sequelae of past traumatic experiences. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Book Review: Placing the Suspect behind the Keyboard: Using Digital Forensics and Investigative Techniques to Identify Cybercrime Suspects

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Thomas Nash

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Shavers, B. (2013. Placing the Suspect behind the Keyboard: Using Digital Forensics and Investigative Techniques to Identify Cybercrime Suspects. Waltham, MA: Elsevier, 290 pages, ISBN-978-1-59749-985-9, US$51.56. Includes bibliographical references and index.Reviewed by Detective Corporal Thomas Nash (tnash@bpdvt.org, Burlington Vermont Police Department, Internet Crime against Children Task Force. Adjunct Instructor, Champlain College, Burlington VT.In this must read for any aspiring novice cybercrime investigator as well as the seasoned professional computer guru alike, Brett Shaver takes the reader into the ever changing and dynamic world of Cybercrime investigation.  Shaver, an experienced criminal investigator, lays out the details and intricacies of a computer related crime investigation in a clear and concise manner in his new easy to read publication, Placing the Suspect behind the Keyboard. Using Digital Forensics and Investigative techniques to Identify Cybercrime Suspects. Shaver takes the reader from start to finish through each step of the investigative process in well organized and easy to follow sections, with real case file examples to reach the ultimate goal of any investigation: identifying the suspect and proving their guilt in the crime. Do not be fooled by the title. This excellent, easily accessible reference is beneficial to both criminal as well as civil investigations and should be in every investigator’s library regardless of their respective criminal or civil investigative responsibilities.(see PDF for full review

Identifying and analyzing digital payment flows regarding illegal purposes on the Internet : I samarbete med CGI och Finanskoalitionen

OpenAIRE

Berggren, Caroline; Asplund, Jesper

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to illustrate an unexplored illegal exploitation of legal businesses, with the purpose of limiting this market and especially the related transactions. The issue of transactions regarding illegal material executed with credit cards was solved through involving the companies who issues the credit cards, making the market more transparent and thus preventing this kind of transactions. The thesis will illustrate how cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, are being exploited...

Local Perspectives on Environmental Insecurity and Its Influence on Illegal Biodiversity Exploitation.

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Meredith L Gore

Full Text Available Environmental insecurity is a source and outcome of biodiversity declines and social conflict. One challenge to scaling insecurity reduction policies is that empirical evidence about local attitudes is overwhelmingly missing. We set three objectives: determine how local people rank risk associated with different sources of environmental insecurity; assess perceptions of environmental insecurity, biodiversity exploitation, myths of nature and risk management preferences; and explore relationships between perceptions and biodiversity exploitation. We conducted interviews (N = 88 with residents of Madagascar's Torotorofotsy Protected Area, 2014. Risk perceptions had a moderate effect on perceptions of environmental insecurity. We found no effects of environmental insecurity on biodiversity exploitation. Results offer one if not the first exploration of local perceptions of illegal biodiversity exploitation and environmental security. Local people's perception of risk seriousness associated with illegal biodiversity exploitation such as lemur hunting (low overall may not reflect perceptions of policy-makers (considered to be high. Discord is a key entry point for attention.

Thebaine in hair as a marker for chronic use of illegal opium poppy substances.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sooyeun; Park, Yonghoon; Han, Eunyoung; Choi, Hwakyung; Chung, Heesun; Oh, Seung Min; Chung, Kyu Hyuck

2011-01-30

Opium poppy products are often illegally used for both recreational and medicinal purposes. In order to demonstrate the ingestion of opium poppy substances, morphine, codeine and their metabolites have been identified. However, morphine and codeine also originate from the ingestion of therapeutic drugs. Therefore, thebaine, one of the main opium alkaloids, in hair was suggested as a marker for chronic use of illegal opium poppy substances in the present study. First, thebaine was included in the analyte list of our routine analytical method for the simultaneous quantification of codeine, morphine, norcodeine, normorphine and 6-acetylmorphine (6-AM) in hair, which was fully validated previously. Then, the incorporation of thebaine and other opiates into hair and the effect of hair pigmentation were examined using lean Zucker rats with both dark grey and white hair on the same body. Thebaine was also measured in hair samples from actual cases of opium poppy substance use. Consequently, thebaine in hair was demonstrated as a marker of chronic use of illegal opium poppy substances using an animal study and actual cases. Thebaine and other opiates were successfully measured in pigmented hair from rats that ingested raw opium suspension. Moreover, thebaine identified in hair excluded possibility of ingestion of pharmaceutical opiates in actual cases. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A map of representations of Use / s User / s of illegal drugs from semiotics Statements

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Fernando Palazzolo

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to describe, implement and evaluate the scope of the analytical method known as Statements Semiotics for the analysis of social representations, from interviews with actors involved in the phenomenon of illegal drugs. This time it made possible to establish a first conceptual map of how different actors (lawmakers, social activists, drug users and ex drug users, state workers on addictions, members of civil organizations define use and users of illegal drugs, being identified two discursive formations that are in tension. Also shows clearly some tensions within each discursive formation, as well as correlations between the two formations, and contradictions or opacities in the discourse of the actors

Multi-colorimetric sensor array for detection of illegal materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kostesha, Natalie; Boisen, Anja; Jakobsen, Mogens Havsteen

2012-01-01

The detection of low pressure illegal compounds is an important analytical problem which requires reliable, selective and sensitive detection methods which provide the highest level of confidence in the result. Therefore, to contribute in the successful development of the recognition technology...... and signal processing enhancements to sensing methods, recognition ability, data acquisition time and data processing algorithms are necessary. In this research we work towards the development of a rapid, easy in use, highly sensitive, specific (minimal false positives) sensor based on a colorimetric sensing...

La usurpación de tierras comunales y baldíos en Guadalajara durante la segunda mitad del siglo XV = The Illegal Appropriation of Communal Lands in Guadalajara in the Second Half of the Fifteenth Century

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javier Plaza de Agustín

2015-06-01

Full Text Available La ciudad de Guadalajara, desde su incorporación a la corona castellana, se constituyó como cabeza de un amplio territorio de realengo sobre el que ejercía su jurisdicción. Este alfoz se componía de considerables extensiones de tierras de uso comunal, principalmente pastos para el ganado y bosque del que se obtenía madera y caza, que constituían una de las bases económicas de la ciudad y las aldeas de su entorno. Durante la Baja Edad Media, y específicamente en la segunda mitad del siglo XV, estas tierras sufrieron el expolio de todo tipo de usurpadores contra los que el concejo trató de luchar, bien utilizando sus propios medios o bien mediante la intervención de la monarquía. Este artículo tratará de estudiar la situación de las tierras públicas de la ciudad y conocer la identidad de los usurpadores, para lo cual se ha recurrido principalmente al estudio de la documentación conservada acerca de los diversos conflictos asociados a este fenómeno.Since its incorporation in the kingdom of Castile, Guadalajara became the head of an extensive territory under the direct rule of the king. Within this territory, there were large tracts of communal lands, mainly pasture for cattle and forests that provided wood and game, one of the main economic sources for the city and its surrounding villages. In the late Middle Ages, and specifically in the second half of the fifteenth century, these lands suffered illegal appropriation by all kinds of occupiers against which the local council tried to fight either by means of its own resources or through royal intervention. This article aims to study the location of the public lands of the city and to identify those responsible for their encroachment. For this purpose, we have mainly focussed on the extant documentation concerning various conflicts associated with this phenomenon.

Illegal streaming as disruptive innovation : How the established companies within the television industry deal with potential disruptive innovations

OpenAIRE

Myhra, Cecilie Victoria

2013-01-01

This thesis was written to examine how the established companies within the television industry in Norway deal with potential disruptive innovations. In this case the disruptive innovation is illegal streaming of sports, series and movies. This is common among the younger population, which is not the incumbents’ main target. In that way, illegal streaming can grow without them knowing it, and in worst case eventually push them out of the market. Especially when the users can “save” 900 NOK on...

48 CFR 403.303 - Reporting suspected antitrust violations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... Antitrust Violations 403.303 Reporting suspected antitrust violations. Contracting officers shall report the circumstances of suspected violations of antitrust laws to the Office of Inspector General in accordance with... antitrust violations. 403.303 Section 403.303 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF...

The popular music heritage of the Dutch pirates: illegal radio and cultural identity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A.J.C. van der Hoeven (Arno)

2012-01-01

textabstractThis article explores how cultural identities are negotiated in relation to the heritage of illegal radio in the Netherlands. The term ‘pirate radio’ commonly refers to the offshore radio stations that were broadcasting during the 1960s. These stations introduced commercial radio and

Feathered Detectives : Real-Time GPS Tracking of Scavenging Gulls Pinpoints Illegal Waste Dumping

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Navarro, J.; Grémillet, D.; Afán, I.; Ramírez, F.; Bouten, W.; Forero, M.G.

2016-01-01

Urban waste impacts human and environmental health, and waste management has become one of the major challenges of humanity. Concurrently with new directives due to manage this human by-product, illegal dumping has become one of the most lucrative activities of organized crime. Beyond economic

Stand structure, composition and illegal logging in selectively logged production forests of Myanmar: Comparison of two compartments subject to different cutting frequency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tual Cin Khai

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Appropriate cutting cycles and annual allowable cuts are crucial to ensure sustainability of tropical selective logging, but there have been limited field data to verify long-term effects of different cutting cycles. This study reveals some evidence of forest degradation in selectively logged production forests of Myanmar, which are subject to inappropriate cutting frequency. We compared stand structure, commercial species composition, and incidence of illegal logging between two compartments with low (LCF; 1 time and high (HCF; 5 times cutting frequency over a recent 18 years. Prior to the latest cutting, LCF had 176 trees ha−1 with an inverted-J shape distribution of diameter at breast height (DBH, including a substantial amount of teak (Tectona grandis and other commercially important species in each DBH class. HCF prior to the latest cut had only 41 trees ha−1 without many commercially important species. At HCF, nearly half the standing trees of various species and size were illegally cut following legal operations; this was for charcoal making in nearby kilns. At LCF, two species, teak and Xylia xylocarpa, were cut illegally and sawn for timber on the spot. More extensive and systematic surveys are needed to generalize the findings of forest degradation and illegal logging. However, our study calls for urgent reconsideration of logging practices with high cutting frequency, which can greatly degrade forests with accompanying illegal logging, and for rehabilitating strongly degraded, bamboo-dominated forests. To reduce illegal logging, it would be important to pay more attention on a MSS regulation stating that logging roads should be destroyed after logging operations.

Believable Suspect Agents: Response and Interpersonal Style Selection for an Artificial Suspect

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bruijnes, Merijn

2016-01-01

The social skills necessary to properly and successfully conduct a police interrogation can and need to be trained. In the thesis I will describe the steps I took towards a virtual character that can play the role of a suspect in a police interrogation training. Students of the police academy will

48 CFR 1403.303 - Reporting suspected antitrust violations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... Antitrust Violations 1403.303 Reporting suspected antitrust violations. (a) Reports on suspected violations of antitrust laws as required by FAR 3.303 shall be prepared by the CO, reviewed by the SOL, and... antitrust violations. 1403.303 Section 1403.303 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF THE...

Prediction of Chinese Drivers' Intentions to Park Illegally in Emergency Lanes: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yubing; Ma, Yang; Guo, Lixin; Cheng, Jianchuan; Zhang, Yunlong

2018-06-21

Illegal parking in emergency lanes (paved highway shoulders) is becoming a serious road safety issue in China. The aim of this study was: 1) to examine the utility of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) extended with descriptive norm, past behavior, facilitating and deterring circumstances, sensation seeking and invulnerability in predicting Chinese drivers' intentions in illegal emergency lane parking; 2) to investigate whether respondents' demographic characteristics would impact their views towards the behavior and predictive patterns of intentions; 3) to identify significant predictors of intentions. In this cross-sectional study, eligible respondents were all qualified Chinese drivers. A self-administered questionnaire was employed to collect data including demographic information, descriptive norm, past behavior, facilitating and deterring circumstances, sensation seeking and scenario-based invulnerability combined with TPB constructs. Descriptive statistics, MANOVAs and a series of hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were conducted in SPSS. A total of 435 qualified drivers (234 males and 201 females) with a mean age of 35.2 years (S.D.=10.3) were included in analysis. The descriptive analysis showed that most participants reported weak intentions (M = 2.35) to park illegally in emergency lanes with negative attitude (M = 3.19), low perceived support (M = 2.91) and high control (M = 5.08) over the behavior. The model succeeded in explaining 64% of the variance in intentions for the whole sample, and principal TPB components accounted for 21% of variance in intentions after demographic variables were controlled. MANOVAs revealed that significant differences of respondents' opinions towards illegal emergency lane parking were only found between better-educated drivers (with college education background) and less-educated ones. Separate regression analyses revealed that predictive pattern of better-educated participants also

ANALYSIS OF REMEDIATION PROCESS OF THE GROUDWATER COTAMINATION IN AN ILLEGAL DUMPING SITE

Science.gov (United States)

Nishida, Norikazu; Furuichi, Toru; Ishii, Kazuei

Among on-site remediation technologies applied to illegal dumping sites, a technology to remedy contaminated groundwater without removal of the dumped waste is expected to provide a great opportunity to fulfill a societal need due to its economic advantage compared to removal of all waste. However heterogeneously-distributed waste makes the remedial process difficult. In this study, an in situflushing technology was applied to an illegal dumping site in Kuwana city, Mie, in order to remedy groundwater contaminated with several volatile organic compounds (VOCs) within five years. The key to successfully achieve the target was to conduct a series of advanced remediation processes; introducing a new indicator by which multiple VOCs can be estimated integratelly, monitoring the progress of remediation with a contour map of VOC concentration as well as the weighted averages of the concentration derived from the indicator, pinpointing residual contaminants area, reexamining the plan, and taking additional steps that promote further remediation.

An integrated system for land resources supervision based on the IoT and cloud computing

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Shifeng; Zhu, Yunqiang; Xu, Lida; Zhang, Jinqu; Zhou, Peiji; Luo, Kan; Yang, Jie

2017-01-01

Integrated information systems are important safeguards for the utilisation and development of land resources. Information technologies, including the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing, are inevitable requirements for the quality and efficiency of land resources supervision tasks. In this study, an economical and highly efficient supervision system for land resources has been established based on IoT and cloud computing technologies; a novel online and offline integrated system with synchronised internal and field data that includes the entire process of 'discovering breaches, analysing problems, verifying fieldwork and investigating cases' was constructed. The system integrates key technologies, such as the automatic extraction of high-precision information based on remote sensing, semantic ontology-based technology to excavate and discriminate public sentiment on the Internet that is related to illegal incidents, high-performance parallel computing based on MapReduce, uniform storing and compressing (bitwise) technology, global positioning system data communication and data synchronisation mode, intelligent recognition and four-level ('device, transfer, system and data') safety control technology. The integrated system based on a 'One Map' platform has been officially implemented by the Department of Land and Resources of Guizhou Province, China, and was found to significantly increase the efficiency and level of land resources supervision. The system promoted the overall development of informatisation in fields related to land resource management.

The relation of self-esteem and illegal drug usage in high school students.

Science.gov (United States)

Khajehdaluee, Mohammad; Zavar, Abbas; Alidoust, Mahbobeh; Pourandi, Razieh

2013-11-01

Adolescence is the period of stress and strain. Researchers have shown that adolescents without strong social supports would have tendency towards smoking and drug abuse. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between low self-esteem and illegal drug abuse. Participants were 943 grades nine to 12 high school students, from Sarakhs during 2010 - 2011. Adolescents participated in the study, completed two self-report questionnaires. The first questionnaire included questions about individual and family information, smoking and illegal drug abuse history, and the second was the Rosenberg's self-esteem scale. 53.8% of participants were male (507 individuals). The mean Rosenberg self-esteem score was 19.8 + 5.2, and the most frequent obtained scores were from 22 to 30. The difference of Rosenberg self-esteem score test between students who did not use any substance and those who had a history of smoking or drug abuse like heroin, pills, alcohols, betel nut (Nas) and other drugs (such as Pan and Hookah) was significant (P self-esteem scores between adolescents who lived with both or one of the parents, and those who did not live with any of parents, was significant (P = 0.04). There was also a significant association between the number of children in the family and self-esteem score. The current study showed significant association between the Rosenberg self-esteem test results and smoking, and illegal drug abuse like heroin, pills, alcohol, Nas, and other substances. Therefore, increasing self-esteem is essential for preventing the adolescents' emotional and behavioral disorders. This fact could guide us to the new approaches for smoking and drug-abuse prevention in adolescents.

Suspects in criminal investigations of rape

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marinković Darko

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Investigations of sexual assaults mostly focus on victims and their credibility, which may cause lack of firm evidence in relation to suspects. Given the fact that the criminal offence of rape is characterised by a high incidence of false reports and accusations, frequently indicating specific persons as the perpetrators, certain caution is necessary in the investigation in order to avoid false accusations and/or convictions. As regards the personality of the rapist and motives for committing a forcible sexual act, certain types or rather certain categories of perpetrators can be distinguished, although it should be noted that a large number of rapists do not belong to one category only, but rather combine characteristics of several different types. During a criminal investigation it is of vital importance to differentiate between a rape as a surprise attack and a rape as abuse of trust, as they are compatible with the nature of the suspect's defence. The suspect shall be subjected to a forensic examination in the course of the investigation in order to find traces which prove vaginal, anal or oral penetration, coerced sexual intercourse and identity of the rapist. While conducting an interrogation of a suspected rapist, a crime investigating officer shall use either factual or emotional approach to his interviewee, depending on his psychological and motivational characteristics. In this regard, the factual approach is believed to be more efficient with anger rapists and sadistic rapists, whereas the compassionate approach gives good results with the gentlemen-rapists and partly with the power asserting rapists.

Illegal immigration at sea: a social analysis (Imigraţia ilegală pe mare: o analiză socială

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martina Federica MANFREDI

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Illegal immigration could be defined as a pathology of migration (which is a much broader, positive and needed phenomenon. It is a phenomenon of relevant historical importance; in particular, European history has been marked by many waves of migration, sometimes of whole populations. Unfortunately, the problem of illegal immigration is still very much present in today’s society, touching certain countries in particular, such as Italy, which suffers immigration from sub-Saharan Africa and the Balkan area.

FUNGSI EKOLOGIS HUTAN MENURUT SISWA KELUARGA PELAKU ILLEGAL LOGING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maskhur Maskhur

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Tulisan ini mendeskripsikan pemaknaan dan sikap siswa SDN3 Kluwih Bandar Batang keluarga pelaku illegal loging terhadap fungsi hutan. Penelitian ini menggunakan paradigma dan pendekatan kualitatif dengan pendekatan fenomenologi. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui teknik observasi, wawancara kepada 12 subjek yang telah ditentukan secara purposif. Data yang didapat kemudian dianalisis dengan model anailis interaktif dengan mengacu pada teori Milles & Huberman. Hasil riset ini menunjukkan bahwa pemaknaan mereka terhadap hutan menjadi negative dan sesat. Walaupun pengetahuan para siswa tersebut tentang fungsi ekologis hutan masih positif dan baik. Pemahaman mereka atas fungsi ekologi hutan sangat dipengaruhi oleh perilaku pelaku penebangan hutan, yang mana adalah keluarga dekat mereka sendiri. Walaupun sikap mereka secara kognitif dan afektif sangat positif namun secara konatif sikap mereka sangat negatif. This article describes elementary knowledge and attitudes of students of SDN 3 Kluwih Banda Batang which had relathionship family with illegal loging agent. This used qualitative paradigm with phenomological perspective. Data collected through observation, interviews with 12 subjects who have been determined purposively. The data obtained were analyzed using an interactive model with reference to the theory of Milles and Huberman. The results of this research indicate that they purport to be negative and misguided forest. Hence the students knowledge about the ecological function of the forest is still positive and good. Their understanding of forests ecological functions are influenced by the behavior of agents of deforestation, which are close relatives of their own. Although their attitude is very positive cognitive and affective manner connective but their attitude was very negative.

Trophic flow structure of the Danajon ecosystem (Central Philippines) and impacts of illegal and destructive fishing practices

Science.gov (United States)

Bacalso, Regina Therese M.; Wolff, Matthias

2014-11-01

A trophic model of the shallow Danajon Bank, in the Central Visayas, Philippines was developed using a mass-balance approach (Ecopath) to describe the system characteristics and fisheries interactions. The Ecopath model is composed of 37 functional groups and 17 fishing fleet types reflecting the high diversity of catches and fishing operations in the Danajon Bank. Collectively, the catch is dominated by lower trophic level fish and invertebrates as reflected in the mean trophic level of the fishery (2.95). The low biomass and high exploitation levels for many upper trophic level groups and the little evidence for strong natural physical disturbances suggest that top-down fishery is the main driver of system dynamics. The mixed trophic impacts (MTI) analysis reveals the role of the illegal and destructive fishing operations in influencing the ecosystem structure and dynamics. Furthermore, the illegal fisheries' estimated collective annual harvest is equivalent to nearly a quarter of the entire municipal fisheries catch in the area. Improved fisheries law enforcement by the local government units to curb these illegal and destructive fishing operations could substantially increase the potential gains of the legal fisheries.

[Substance-abuse related emergencies--illegal drugs, part I].

Science.gov (United States)

Kinn, Michael; Holzbach, Rüdiger; Pajonk, Frank-Gerald Bernhard

2008-11-01

For the first time since the year 2000 the number of death due to substance abuse of illegal drugs has increased in Germany in 2007 (+8 % compared to 2006). Emergency situations due to drug abuse are frequent, particular in big cities. They may be, however, difficult to diagnose and/or treat for an emergency physician on scene because of a lack of diagnostic tools, the local and personal surroundings, and the unknown number and nature of drugs. Many drug intoxications must be considered suicidal. On the other hand, drug intoxications may mask (other) life-threatening conditions. Emergency situations due to withdrawal offer the possibility to motivate patients to take advantage of specialist-guided abstinence programs.

Dumping and Illegal Transport of Hazardous Waste, Danger of Modern Society

OpenAIRE

Obradović, Mario; Kalambura, Sanja; Smolec, Danijel; Jovičić, Nives

2014-01-01

Increasing the production of hazardous waste during the past few years and stricter legislation in the area of​ permanent disposal and transportation costs were significantly elevated above activities. This creates a new, highly lucrative gray market which opens the way for the criminalization. Of great importance is the identification of illegal trafficking of hazardous waste since it can have a significant impact on human health and environmental pollution. Barriers to effective engagement ...

The clinical course of patients with suspected pulmonary embolism

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Beek, E. J.; Kuijer, P. M.; Büller, H. R.; Brandjes, D. P.; Bossuyt, P. M.; ten Cate, J. W.

1997-01-01

BACKGROUND: The outcome of patients with suspected pulmonary embolism is known to a limited extent only. OBJECTIVE: To address this limited knowledge in a cohort in whom pulmonary embolism was proved or ruled out. METHODS: Consecutive patients with clinically suspected pulmonary embolism underwent

Unfair Lineups Make Witnesses More Likely to Confuse Innocent and Guilty Suspects.

Science.gov (United States)

Colloff, Melissa F; Wade, Kimberley A; Strange, Deryn

2016-09-01

Eyewitness-identification studies have focused on the idea that unfair lineups (i.e., ones in which the police suspect stands out) make witnesses more willing to identify the police suspect. We examined whether unfair lineups also influence subjects' ability to distinguish between innocent and guilty suspects and their ability to judge the accuracy of their identification. In a single experiment (N = 8,925), we compared three fair-lineup techniques used by the police with unfair lineups in which we did nothing to prevent distinctive suspects from standing out. Compared with the fair lineups, doing nothing not only increased subjects' willingness to identify the suspect but also markedly impaired subjects' ability to distinguish between innocent and guilty suspects. Accuracy was also reduced at every level of confidence. These results advance theory on witnesses' identification performance and have important practical implications for how police should construct lineups when suspects have distinctive features. © The Author(s) 2016.

The use of psychoactive prescription drugs among DUI suspects.

Science.gov (United States)

Karjalainen, Karoliina; Haukka, Jari; Lintonen, Tomi; Joukamaa, Matti; Lillsunde, Pirjo

2015-10-01

The study seeks to increase understanding of the use of psychoactive prescription drugs among persons suspected of driving under the influence (DUI). We studied whether the use of prescribed psychoactive medication was associated with DUI, and examined the difference in the use of prescription drugs between DUI recidivists and those arrested only once. In this register-based study, persons suspected of DUI (n=29470) were drawn from the Register of DUI suspects, and an age- and gender-matched reference population (n=30043) was drawn from the Finnish general population. Data on prescription drug use was obtained by linkage to the National Prescription Register. The associations of DUI arrest and use of psychoactive prescription drugs in different DUI groups (findings for alcohol only, prescription drugs, prescription drugs and alcohol, illicit drugs) were estimated by using mixed-effect logistic regression. The use of psychoactive prescription drugs and DUI appeared to be strongly associated, with DUI suspects significantly more likely to use psychoactive prescription drugs compared to the reference population. Gender differences existed, with the use of benzodiazepines being more common among female DUI suspects. Moreover, DUI recidivists were more likely to use psychoactive prescription drugs compared to those arrested only once. In addition to alcohol and/or illicit drug use, a significant proportion of DUI suspects were using psychoactive prescription drugs. When prescribing psychoactive medication, especially benzodiazepines, physicians are challenged to screen for possible substance use problems and also to monitor for patients' alcohol or illicit drug use while being medicated. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Illegal alphabets and adult biliteracy latino migrants crossing the linguistic border, expanded edition

CERN Document Server

Kalmar, Tomás Mario

2015-01-01

How do "illegal aliens" chart the speech sounds of colloquial English? This book is timeless in offering an unusually direct entry into how a group of Mexican fruit pickers analyze their first encounter with local American speech in a tiny rural Midwestern community in the United States. Readers see close up how intelligently migrant workers help each other use what they already know-the alphabetic principle of one letter, one sound-to teach each other, from scratch, at the very first contact, a language which none of them can speak. They see how and why the strategies adult immigrants actually use in order to cope with English in the real world seem to have little in common with those used in publicly funded bilingual and ESL classrooms. What's new in this expanded edition of Tomás Mario Kalmar's landmark Illegal Alphabets and Adult Biliteracy are in-depth commentaries from six distinguished scholars-Peter Elbow, Ofelia García, James Paul Gee, Hervé Varenne, Luis Vázquez León, Karen Velasquez-who bring ...

RESTRICTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN THE U.S- IS IT GROUNDED IN ECONOMIC TERMS?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SORIN MAHA

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The impact of Hispanic immigration phenomenon, especially of the illegal one on the economy at local, state andfederal level is a major concern in the U.S.. Challenges to effective control at the borders of the United States haveincreased dramatically in recent decades.The problem of the present research is the extent to which budgetary policy restricted the illegal immigrationphenomenon and what were the negative consequences of the policy to strengthen the borders?The purpose of this analysis is to check if there is a significant relationship between the Border Patrol budget and thenumber of apprehensions at the border. The results of the research indicate that the two variables are closely linked,and the trend is that with the increase of the budget, the number of border apprehensions drops. The results wereanalyzed in two phases during 1990-2000 and 2001-2011. For both periods, it shows that the connection between thetwo chosen variables is statistically strong. However, factors such as political, social and economic resulted in adifferent correlation between the Border Patrol budget and the number of apprehensions

Assessment of fire-damaged mesquite trees 8 years following an illegal burn

Science.gov (United States)

Gerald J. Gottfried; Peter F. Ffolliott; Pablo Garcia; Diego Valdez-Zamudio; Akram Al-Khouri

2003-01-01

Effects of an illegal burn on the Santa Rita Experimental Range on mesquite (Prosopis velutina) survival in the semidesert grass-shrub ecosystem was initially assessed in terms of firedamage classes 18 months after the fire and again 8 years after the burn. While many of the mesquite trees on the burned site were damaged by the fire, some of the trees appear to have...

Children's proneness to shame and guilt predict risky and illegal behaviors in young adulthood.

Science.gov (United States)

Stuewig, Jeffrey; Tangney, June P; Kendall, Stephanie; Folk, Johanna B; Meyer, Candace Reinsmith; Dearing, Ronda L

2015-04-01

Do shame and guilt help people avoid doing wrong? Although some research suggests that guilt-proneness is a protective factor while shame-proneness puts individuals at risk, most research is either cross-sectional or short-term. In this longitudinal study, 380 5th graders (ages 10-12) completed measures of proneness to shame and guilt. We re-interviewed 68 % of participants after they turned 18 years old (range 18-21). Guilt-proneness assessed in childhood predicted fewer sexual partners, less use of illegal drugs and alcohol, and less involvement with the criminal justice system. Shame-proneness, in contrast, was a risk factor for later deviant behavior. Shame-prone children were more likely to have unprotected sex and use illegal drugs in young adulthood. These results held when controlling for childhood SES and teachers' ratings of aggression. Children's moral emotional styles appear to be well established by at least middle childhood, with distinct downstream implications for risky behavior in early adulthood.

Health risks related to illegal and on-line sale of drugs and food supplements: results of a survey on marketed products in Italy from 2011 to 2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaudiano, Maria Cristina; Manna, Livia; Bartolomei, Monica; Rodomonte, Andrea Luca; Bertocchi, Paola; Antoniella, Eleonora; Romanini, Laura; Alimonti, Stefano; Rufini, Leandro; Valvo, Luisa

2016-01-01

The increasing illegal and on-line market of medicines and food supplements is helping the widespread diffusion of harmful counterfeit and forbidden products among consumers of developed countries. The objectives of this survey were the description of the main frauds recognized by public officers and the detection of illegal or counterfeit drugs and food supplements. Medicines and food supplements found by Police forces on the illegal market or resulting from seizures made by Italian Customs authorities were visually inspected and analysed to evaluate their quality and the presence of other undeclared substances. The visual inspection and the chemical analysis revealed unsuitable packaging (mostly lacking of adequate information for consumers), absence of the declared active substances and presence of undeclared active substances. Products containing doping agents, illegal substances and active ingredients requiring medical supervision were found. The present work confirmed the health risk associated with assumption of medicines purchased on the Internet and from the illegal supply chain and evidenced a new threat to consumer safety related to the presence of pharmaceutical active ingredients in food supplements claiming to contain only "natural ingredients".

Environmental Pollution from Illegal Waste Disposal and Health Effects: A Review on the “Triangle of Death”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Triassi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The term “triangle of death” was used for the first time by Senior and Mazza in the journal The Lancet Oncology referring to the eastern area of the Campania Region (Southern Italy which has one of the worst records of illegal waste dumping practices. In the past decades, many studies have focused on the potential of illegal waste disposal to cause adverse effects on human health in this area. The great heterogeneity in the findings, and the bias in media communication has generated great healthcare doubts, anxieties and alarm. This paper addresses a review of the up-to-date literature on the “triangle of death”, bringing together the available information on the occurrence and severity of health effects related to illegal waste disposal. The Scopus database was searched using the search terms “waste”, “Campania”, “Naples”, “triangle of death” and “human biomonitoring”. Despite the methodological and sampling heterogeneity between the studies, this review examines the evidence from published data concerning cancer incidence, childhood mortality and birth defects, so that the current situation, knowledge gaps and research priorities can be established. The review aims to provide a contribution to the scientific community, and to respond to the concerns of the general population.

A meta-analysis of mortality data in Italian contaminated sites with industrial waste landfills or illegal dumps

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucia Fazzo

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Objectives. Adverse effects of waste management represent a public health issue. Mortality meta-analysis in Italian National Priority Contaminated Sites (NPCSs with industrial waste landfills or illegal dumps is presented. Methods. 24 NPCSs include industrial waste landfills or illegal dumps. Class 1 (10 NPCSs with industrial waste landfills and Class 2 (14 NPCSs with illegal dumps were categorized. Random-effects model meta-analyses of Standardized Mortality Ratios non-adjusted (SMRs and adjusted for Deprivation (DI-SMRs computed for each CS (1995-2002 were performed for overall 24 NPCSs and the two classes. The North-Southern gradient was considered. Results. 24 CSs pooled-SMRs are significantly increased in both genders for cancer of liver (men: SMR = 1.13; women: SMR = 1.18, bladder (men: SMR = 1.06; women: SMR = 1.11, and for cirrhosis (men: SMR = 1.09; women: SMR = 1.13. In Class 2 the increase is confirmed in both genders for liver and bladder cancers and for cirrhosis and in men only for lung cancer. Congenital anomalies and adverse perinatal conditions are not increased. Conclusion. The results are consistent with the hypothesis of adverse health effects of non-adequately managed hazardous waste. Causal interpretation is not allowed, but the meta-analytic approach provides more confidence in the findings.

Illegal Dumping of Toxic Waste and Its Effect on Human Health in Campania, Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazza, Alfredo; Piscitelli, Prisco; Neglia, Cosimo; Della Rosa, Giulia; Iannuzzi, Leopoldo

2015-06-16

The region of Campania (particularly Naples and Caserta) has experienced an emergency in the waste management cycle during past years. Although the most critical phase has been overcome after the construction of the incineration plant in Acerra (an old-fashioned technology built up over a few months, whose impact on environment and health has not yet been assessed), most of the underlying problems have not been resolved. The illegal burning of wheels, plastics, textiles, and other industrial residuals, along with the detection of two thousand toxic substance dumping sites, still represents major concerns of environmental pollution and population health. This review summarizes the most relevant studies, which analyzed chemical contamination (primarily dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)) of the air, soil, water, animals, and humans in Campania. In addition, we reviewed information on population health (i.e., mortality data, congenital malformations, and cancer incidence). Moving from a detailed mapping of (mostly illegal) waste dumping sites in Campania, we have focused on recent studies which have found: (a) high concentrations of dioxins (≥5.0 pg TEQ/g fat) in milk samples from sheep, cows, and river buffaloes; (b) remarkable contamination of dioxin and PCBs in human milk samples from those living in the Naples and Caserta areas (PCDDs+PCDFs and dioxin-like-PCBs (dl-PCBs) assessed at 16.6 pg TEQ/g of fat; range: 7.5-43 pg/g of fat); (c) potential age-adjusted standardized mortality rates associated with some specific cancer types; (d) a statistically significant association between exposure to illegal toxic waste dumping sites and cancer mortality, even after adjustment by socio-economic factors and other environmental indicators.

Illegal Dumping of Toxic Waste and Its Effect on Human Health in Campania, Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfredo Mazza

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The region of Campania (particularly Naples and Caserta has experienced an emergency in the waste management cycle during past years. Although the most critical phase has been overcome after the construction of the incineration plant in Acerra (an old-fashioned technology built up over a few months, whose impact on environment and health has not yet been assessed, most of the underlying problems have not been resolved. The illegal burning of wheels, plastics, textiles, and other industrial residuals, along with the detection of two thousand toxic substance dumping sites, still represents major concerns of environmental pollution and population health. This review summarizes the most relevant studies, which analyzed chemical contamination (primarily dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs of the air, soil, water, animals, and humans in Campania. In addition, we reviewed information on population health (i.e., mortality data, congenital malformations, and cancer incidence. Moving from a detailed mapping of (mostly illegal waste dumping sites in Campania, we have focused on recent studies which have found: (a high concentrations of dioxins (≥5.0 pg TEQ/g fat in milk samples from sheep, cows, and river buffaloes; (b remarkable contamination of dioxin and PCBs in human milk samples from those living in the Naples and Caserta areas (PCDDs+PCDFs and dioxin-like-PCBs (dl-PCBs assessed at 16.6 pg TEQ/g of fat; range: 7.5–43 pg/g of fat; (c potential age-adjusted standardized mortality rates associated with some specific cancer types; (d a statistically significant association between exposure to illegal toxic waste dumping sites and cancer mortality, even after adjustment by socio-economic factors and other environmental indicators.

[Illegal professional conflict of interest from the viewpoint of the attorney].

Science.gov (United States)

Broglie, M G

1998-10-01

Since the so called "heart-valve scandal" occurred in Germany, the practice of financially or otherwise supported hospitals and practicing doctors has to be critically re-examined and may be changed. The practice and acceptance of support is common in many areas of our daily life, however, due to governmental social laws regulating the flow of money and due to the various financial forms of support for the health care system, criminal violations and sanctions may arise. Aside from the existing standard criminal violations, a new law, as of has been enacted August 13, 1997-this law specifically deals with bribery and the acceptance of such illegal payments. Proving that such a criminal violation was committed by a physician can be very difficult for the prosecutor. The mass of procedural laws--aside from the substantive law requirements--cause problems for the state. It is also very difficult to determine the exact amount of damages or that a physician has gained an illegal advantage. In these specific and other general cases, a professional defense by a competent attorney is absolutely essential to prevent an unpleasant suit or to resolve charges outside of court. In some cases, it may even be possible to persuade the prosecutor to only levy a fine, if it is not possible to persuade him to drop the charges all together--for lack of good evidence.

Breast Milk and Hair Testing to Detect Illegal Drugs, Nicotine, and Caffeine in Donors to a Human Milk Bank.

Science.gov (United States)

Escuder-Vieco, Diana; Garcia-Algar, Óscar; Joya, Xavier; Marchei, Emilia; Pichini, Simona; Pacifici, Roberta; Pallás-Alonso, Carmen Rosa

2016-08-01

The use of illegal drugs and tobacco is an exclusion criteria for accepting a nursing mother as a milk donor. The detection window for human milk testing is typically a few hours. Hair testing has been considered the gold standard to assess chronic exposure to these toxic substances. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of illegal drugs, nicotine, and caffeine in breast milk and hair samples from donors to assess whether these substances were being used during the donation period and the months leading up to it. Thirty-six samples of hair and breast milk were obtained from 36 donors. The tests performed identified nicotine, caffeine, morphine, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines, codeine, methadone, and other substances derived therefrom. No illegal drugs were found in any of the samples analyzed. Nicotine and cotinine were found in 33.3% (12/36) of all hair samples. Among these 12 samples, 10 had cotinine concentrations consistent with cutoff values for unexposed nonsmokers, 1 had concentrations consistent with cutoff values for passive smokers, and 1 had concentrations consistent with cutoff values for active smokers. Caffeine was found in 77.7% of the hair samples and in 50% of the donor milk samples. The correlation for caffeine between donor milk and hair samples was r = 0.288, P = .0881. Donors do not use illegal drugs during either the donation period or the months leading up to it. They are occasionally exposed to tobacco smoke and almost all of them consume caffeine. © The Author(s) 2016.

Improvement of Legislation on Administrative Responsibility for the Illegal Use of Trademarks and Application Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Permyakova N. A.

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the issues of legislation improvement concerning administrative responsibility for illegal use of trademarks. The author exposes problematic questions of law enforcement on bringing to administrative responsibility under Art. 14.10 of the RF Administrative Code

Ensuring freedoms and protecting rights in the governance of the Internet : a comparative analysis of blocking measures and Internet Providers’ Removal of Illegal Internet Content

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Parti, K.; Marin, Luisa

2013-01-01

Removing illegal or harmful material from the internet has been pursued for more than two decades. The advent of Web 2.0, with the prominent increase and diffusion of user-generated content, amplifies the necessity for technical and legal frameworks enabling the removal of illegal material from the

Effects of Land Use Change on Sediment and Water Yields in Yang Ming Shan National Park, Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas C. C. Huang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT is a watershed-based, semi-distributed hydrologic model for simulating hydrological processes at different spatial scales. The SWAT hydrology and erosion/sediment components are first validated after the hydrologic components calibration. The SWAT model also utilizes geographic information system (GIS and digital elevation model (DEM to delineate watersheds and extract the stream network. This study applies SWAT model to assess the impacts of land use change on soil and water losses from Yang Ming Shan National Park Watershed in northern Taiwan. Although the government has formulated regulations to limit the development, however, intense human activities, such as farming and building construction, still continue to exist. This study utilized two land-use data periods, one in 1996 and another in 2007, along with the SWAT model to simulate soil and water losses in Yang Ming Shan National Park. Based on the baseline scenario, the SWAT model was also successful in simulating the future scenario. Study results for scenario 2007, as compared to 1996 baseline period indicate that land use change shows forest land decreases about 6.9%, agricultural land increases about 9.5%, and causes sediment yield increase of 0.25 t/ha. Human activities deserve more attention when assessing soil and water losses because of their inevitable impacts. Government needs to modify land development policies and plans for land use change detection using satellite imagery to avoid illegal development activities.

Drivers of land use change and carbon mapping in the savannah area of Ghana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Koranteng Addo

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Land-use and land-cover change in both forest reserves and off-reserves is a critical issue in sub Saharan Africa. Deforestation and conversion of forest land to agricultural land continue to be one of the major environmental problems in Africa, and for that matter, Ghana cannot be exceptional; and its resultant effect is the loss in the ecological integrity and the quality of forests, resulting in carbon loss and the resultant climate change effects (FAO 2016. The study area covers the Community Resource Management Areas (CREMA of the Mole National Park in Ghana, and this study reveals that the area is well endowed with a diverse composition and structure of woodland including dense, open and riverine stretches, which – under the national definition of forest – qualifies as forest. The results reveal that there had been an annual deforestation rate of 0.11% over the period of review. It was concluded from the study that woodland had high carbon stocks with an average carbon of 80 tC/ha, the highest being 194 tC/ha and the lowest being 7 tC/ha, which was recorded in the dense woodland and grassland respectively. The fluxes within the land sector in the study area are moderate and the potential of the area to qualify for as REDD+ is very high. However, the drivers of deforestation, especially bush fires and illegal timber harvesting, are challenges that need to be addressed.

Trusted Insiders Are Committing Fraud and Embezzlement Within Organizations: Is There a Connection to Addiction, as the Motivating Factor for Their Illegal Activities?

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-01

increase in opioid prescribing has led to parallel increases in opioid addiction and overdose deaths.” Since 1999, it was reported that, “overdose...COMMITTING FRAUD AND EMBEZZLEMENT WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS: IS THERE A CONNECTION TO ADDICTION , AS THE MOTIVATING FACTOR FOR THEIR ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES...INSIDERS ARE COMMITTING FRAUD AND EMBEZZLEMENT WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS: IS THERE A CONNECTION TO ADDICTION , AS THE MOTIVATING FACTOR FOR THEIR ILLEGAL

Adolescent Girls with illegally Induced Abortion in Dar es Salaam

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasch, V; Silberschmidt, Margrethe; Mchumvu, Y

2000-01-01

that gave them the right to seek family planning services and in practice these services are not being provided. There is a need for youth-friendly family planning services and to make abortion safe and legal, in order to reduce unwanted pregnancies and abortion-related complications and deaths among......This article reports on a study of induced abortion among adolescent girls in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, who were admitted to a district hospital in Dar es Salaam because of an illegally induced abortion in 1997. In the quantitative part of the study, 197 teenage girls (aged 14-19) were asked...

Economic and cultural factors and illegal copying in the university textbook market

OpenAIRE

Scorcu, Antonello Eugenio; Vici, Laura

2012-01-01

The role of economic factors, such as family income, the price of illegal reproductions of books, the enforcement rules and the expected penalties are considered the main determinants of the possible infringements of the copyright law. However, the comparison between individual economic gains and losses offers only a partial explanation, as also cultural individual habits and peer effects exert important influences. Using a unique dataset based on a survey conducted at the University of Bolog...

Daily monitoring of the land surface of the Earth

Science.gov (United States)

Mascaro, J.

2016-12-01

Planet is an integrated aerospace and data analytics company that operates the largest fleet of Earth-imaging satellites. With more than 140 cube-sats successfully launched to date, Planet is now collecting approximately 10 million square kilometers of imagery per day (3-5m per pixel, in red, green, blue and near infrared spectral bands). By early 2017, Planet's constellation will image the entire land surface of the Earth on a daily basis. Due to investments in cloud storage and computing, approximately 75% of imagery collected is available to Planet's partners within 24 hours of capture through an Application Program Interface. This unique dataset has enormous applications for monitoring the status of Earth's natural ecosystems, as well as human settlements and agricultural welfare. Through our Ambassadors Program, Planet has made data available for researchers in areas as disparate as human rights monitoring in refugee camps, to assessments of the impact of hydroelectric installations, to tracking illegal gold mining in Amazon forests, to assessing the status of the cryosphere. Here, we share early results from Planet's research partner network, including enhanced spatial and temporal resolution of NDVI data for agricultural health in Saudi Arabia, computation of rates of illegal deforestation in Southern Peru, estimates of tropical forest carbon stocks based on data integration with active sensors, and estimates of glacial flow rates. We synthesize the potentially enormous research and scientific value of Planet's persistent monitoring capability, and discuss methods by which the data will be disseminated into the scientific community.

Talking heads : interviewing suspects from a cultural perspective

OpenAIRE

Beune, K.

2009-01-01

Although the literature on the interviewing of suspects has increased over the past decade, research on the use and effectiveness of police strategies and their boundary conditions is very rare. The present dissertation aims to fill this void by identifying behaviors that appeal to and persuade suspects to talk (i.e., influencing behavior), focusing on the effects of such behaviors and their dependency on cultural context (low-context vs. high-context). In doing so, we depart from a theoretic...

Preliminary assessment of illegal hunting by communities adjacent to the northern Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gandiwa, E.

2011-01-01

Illegal hunting of wildlife is a major issue in today’s society, particularly in tropical ecosystems. In this study, a total of 114 local residents from eight villages located in four wards adjacent to the northern Gonarezhou National Park, south-eastern Zimbabwe were interviewed in 2009, using

The Magic of the Populace: An Ethnography of Illegibility in the South African Immigration Bureaucracy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hoag, Colin Brewster

2010-01-01

their interactions with the public. This perspectival bias needs to be overcome through ethnographies of the state and of state bureaucracies in everyday practice. This article examines the Immigration Services Branch of the South African Department of Home Affairs, a state bureaucracy widely deemed “illegible...

Children’s Proneness to Shame and Guilt Predict Risky and Illegal Behaviors in Young Adulthood

Science.gov (United States)

Stuewig, Jeffrey; Tangney, June P.; Kendall, Stephanie; Folk, Johanna B.; Meyer, Candace Reinsmith; Dearing, Ronda L.

2014-01-01

Do shame and guilt help people avoid doing wrong? Although some research suggests that guilt-proneness is a protective factor while shame-proneness puts individuals at risk, most research is either cross-sectional or short-term. In this longitudinal study, 380 5th graders (ages 10–12) completed measures of proneness to shame and guilt. We re-interviewed 68% of participants after they turned 18 years old (range 18–21). Guilt-proneness assessed in childhood predicted fewer sexual partners, less use of illegal drugs and alcohol, and less involvement with the criminal justice system. Shame-proneness, in contrast, was a risk factor for later deviant behavior. Shame-prone children were more likely to have unprotected sex and use illegal drugs in young adulthood. These results held when controlling for childhood SES and teachers’ ratings of aggression. Children’s moral emotional styles appear to be well established by at least middle childhood, with distinct downstream implications for risky behavior in early adulthood. PMID:24842762

Teens, Drugs, & Vegas: Toxicological surveillance of illicit prescription and illegal drug abuse in adolescents (12-17 years) using post-mortem data in Clark County, Nevada from 2005 to 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Anthea B Mahesan; Simms, Lary; Mahesan, Andrew A; Belanger, Eric Charles

2018-04-14

Illegal drug abuse, particularly prescription drug abuse is a growing problem in the United States. Research on adolescent drug abuse is based on national self-reported data. Using local coroner data, quantitative prevalence of illegal substance toxicology and trends can be assessed to aid directed outreach and community-based prevention initiatives. Retrospective analysis was conducted on all cases aged 12-17 years referred to the Office of the Medical Examiner, Clark County from 2005 to 2015 (n = 526). The prevalence of illegal opioid use in this population was 13.3%. The most commonly used drug was tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in 29.7%. Illegal-prescription opioids and benzodiazepines were used approximately 1.7 times as much as all other illegal-drugs, excluding THC combined. The largest proportion of illicit prescription drug users were accidental death victims (p = 0.02, OR = 2.02). Drug trends by youth are ever evolving and current specific data is necessary to target prevention initiatives in local communities. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

The Politics of Illegal Immigration, Bilingual Education, and the Commodity of the Post-Technological Society

Science.gov (United States)

Sanchez, Heliodoro T., Jr.; Sanchez, Mary Ann

2008-01-01

With the increasing number of undocumented workers entering the United States and the costs associated with educating their children, bilingual education may soon become the target of opponents of illegal immigration. Furthermore, recent leftist shifts in Latin American governments have provided an impetus for an educated biliterate population…

The biomedicalisation of illegal abortion: the double life of misoprostol in Brazil

OpenAIRE

Zordo, Silvia De

2016-01-01

Abstract This paper examines the double life of misoprostol in Brazil, where it is illegally used by women as an abortifacient and legally used in obstetric hospital wards. Based on my doctoral and post-doctoral anthropological research on contraception and abortion in Salvador, Bahia, this paper initially traces the “conversion” of misoprostol from a drug to treat ulcers to a self-administered abortifacient in Latin America, and its later conversion to aneclectic global obstetric tool. It th...

Method for detection of a suspect viral deoxyribonucleic acid in an acellular biological fluid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berninger, M S

1982-10-06

A method for evaluating an acellular biological fluid for the presence of a suspect viral DNA, such as DNA of the Hepatitis-B virus, is described. The acellular biological fluid is treated to immobilize in denatured form the DNAs including the suspect viral DNA on a solid substrate. This substrate is contacted with a solution including radioisotopically-labelled suspect viral denatured DNA to renature the immobilized suspect viral native DNA. The solid substrate is then evaluated for radioisotopically-labelled suspect viral renatured DNA.

Detection of Rabies antigen in brains of suspected Rabid dogs ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objective: To detect the presence of rabies antigen in brains of suspected rabid dogs. Materials and Methods: Ninety six (96) brain specimens from suspected rabid dogs were examined for the presence of rabies antigen using Seller's staining technique and enzyme immunoassay. Results: The two techniques were both ...

Method for detection of a suspect viral deoxyribonucleic acid in an acellular biological fluid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berninger, M.S.

1982-01-01

A method for evaluating an acellular biological fluid for the presence of a suspect viral DNA, such as DNA of the Hepatitis-B virus, is described. The acellular biological fluid is treated to immobilize in denatured form the DNAs including the suspect viral DNA on a solid substrate. This substrate is contacted with a solution including radioisotopically-labelled suspect viral denatured DNA to renature the immobilized suspect viral native DNA. The solid substrate is then evaluated for radioisotopically-labelled suspect viral renatured DNA. (author)

The ambivalent relation between state and illegal actors: piracy retail in Mexico

OpenAIRE

Aguiar, José Carlos G.

2011-01-01

In the rise of democratic governments across Latin America, the neoliberal law-and-order perspective has been the most influential model of security in the region. This approach is based on the opposition between state and illegal agents, as if they were two different sets of actors. Influenced by this model, Mexican president Vicente Fox launched an extensive anti-piracy programme to eradicate retail of counterfeit. Based on ethnographic material gathered in the San Juan de Dios market in Gu...

[The risk for illegal behaviour and corruption in the healthcare sector: what preventive measures can be taken?].

Science.gov (United States)

Rivoiro, Chiara

2016-05-01

In the healthcare sector risk factors for illegal behavior and corruption are peculiar and greater than in other social areas, as it plays a crucial role in the community's economical, political and cultural life. The healthcare services is a complex network that require interaction between may people, constant contacts with the industry, safety and adequate facilities that require regular maintenance, upgrade and replacement of medical technology, connection with local and regional policy makers. This provides the opportunity of being exposed to improper influence. However, illegal behaviors can be prevented: first of all supporting all professionals that everyday work to protect our health with ethics and expertise; then with all instruments that anti-corruption action plans, such as the one introduced in Italy in 2012, aim to identify and target those areas most at risk of corruption phenomena.

Tracking Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria in Raw and Ready-to-Eat Food Illegally Sold at the Eastern EU Border.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciolacu, Luminita; Stessl, Beatrix; Bolocan, Andrei Sorin; Oniciuc, Elena Alexandra; Wagner, Martin; Rychli, Kathrin; Nicolau, Anca Ioana

2016-03-01

Food illegally brought into the European Union, mainly in the personal luggage of travelers, represents a potential threat to consumers' health. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of five pathogens in food brought into the European Union by Moldavian citizens as personal goods and illegally sold in Romania in the vicinity of the border. The occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes was 7.5% and 8%, while Campylobacter spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Salmonella spp. were absent in all samples. L. monocytogenes sequence type 2, 9, 121, and 155, highly prevalent among foodstuffs worldwide, was also present among isolates from ready-to-eat food illegally sold in Romania, even at the same date of sampling, indicating cross-contamination during food handling. S. aureus spa types t449, t304, and t524 were most often isolated from raw-milk cheeses contaminated with 10(3)-10(5) colony-forming units per gram, evidencing a contamination at herd level or unhygienic conditions during processing. S. aureus t011 and t3625, both included in the livestock-associated CC398, were isolated from pork lard and poultry meat. This study shows that cross-border trade from nonmember states represents a neglected route of transmission of foodborne pathogens into the European Union that could lead to sporadic or family-associated cases of disease.

Spatial epidemiology of suspected clinical leptospirosis in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Robertson, C; Nelson, T A; Stephen, C

2012-04-01

Leptospirosis is one of the most widespread zoonoses in the world. A large outbreak of suspected human leptospirosis began in Sri Lanka during 2008. This study investigated spatial variables associated with suspected leptospirosis risk during endemic and outbreak periods. Data were obtained for monthly numbers of reported cases of suspected clinical leptospirosis for 2005-2009 for all of Sri Lanka. Space-time scan statistics were combined with regression modelling to test associations during endemic and outbreak periods. The cross-correlation function was used to test association between rainfall and leptospirosis at four locations. During the endemic period (2005-2007), leptospirosis risk was positively associated with shorter average distance to rivers and with higher percentage of agriculture made up of farms <0·20 hectares. Temporal correlation analysis of suspected leptospirosis cases and rainfall revealed a 2-month lag in rainfall-case association during the baseline period. Outbreak locations in 2008 were characterized by shorter distance to rivers and higher population density. The analysis suggests the possibility of household transmission in densely populated semi-urban villages as a defining characteristic of the outbreak. The role of rainfall in the outbreak remains to be investigated, although analysis here suggests a more complex relationship than simple correlation.

Main functional elements having defects of illegal residential buildings : The case of Cova da Moura district

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vilhena, A.; Costa Branco De Oliveira Pedro, J.A.; Baptista Coelho, A.; Vasconcelos Paiva, J.

2011-01-01

The purpose of the paper is to describe the main functional elements with defects in illegal residential buildings. Three research questions are addressed: What are the main functional elements with defects in buildings and in dwellings? What are the main defects found? In which way these defects

Linking cases of illegal shootings of the endangered California condor using stable lead isotope analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Finkelstein, Myra E., E-mail: myraf@ucsc.edu [Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Kuspa, Zeka E. [Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Welch, Alacia [National Park Service, Pinnacles National Park, 5000 Highway 146, Paicines, CA 95043 (United States); Eng, Curtis; Clark, Michael [Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027 (United States); Burnett, Joseph [Ventana Wildlife Society, 19045 Portola Dr. Ste. F-1, Salinas, CA 93908 (United States); Smith, Donald R. [Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States)

2014-10-15

Lead poisoning is preventing the recovery of the critically endangered California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) and lead isotope analyses have demonstrated that ingestion of spent lead ammunition is the principal source of lead poisoning in condors. Over an 8 month period in 2009, three lead-poisoned condors were independently presented with birdshot embedded in their tissues, evidencing they had been shot. No information connecting these illegal shooting events existed and the timing of the shooting(s) was unknown. Using lead concentration and stable lead isotope analyses of feathers, blood, and recovered birdshot, we observed that: i) lead isotope ratios of embedded shot from all three birds were measurably indistinguishable from each other, suggesting a common source; ii) lead exposure histories re-constructed from feather analysis suggested that the shooting(s) occurred within the same timeframe; and iii) two of the three condors were lead poisoned from a lead source isotopically indistinguishable from the embedded birdshot, implicating ingestion of this type of birdshot as the source of poisoning. One of the condors was subsequently lead poisoned the following year from ingestion of a lead buckshot (blood lead 556 µg/dL), illustrating that ingested shot possess a substantially greater lead poisoning risk compared to embedded shot retained in tissue (blood lead ∼20 µg/dL). To our knowledge, this is the first study to use lead isotopes as a tool to retrospectively link wildlife shooting events. - Highlights: • We conducted a case-based analysis of illegal shootings of California condors. • Blood and feather Pb isotopes were used to reconstruct the illegal shooting events. • Embedded birdshot from the three condors had the same Pb isotope ratios. • Feather and blood Pb isotopes indicated that the condors were shot in a common event. • Ingested shot causes substantially greater lead exposure compared to embedded shot.

Novel strategy for the determination of illegal adulterants in health foods and herbal medicines using high-performance liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhe; Wu, Caisheng; Wang, Gangli; Zhang, Qingsheng; Zhang, Jinlan

2015-03-01

The detection, confirmation, and quantification of multiple illegal adulterants in health foods and herbal medicines by using a single analytical method are a challenge. This paper reports on a new strategy to meet this challenge by employing high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry and a mass spectral tree similarity filter technique. This analytical method can rapidly collect high-resolution, high-accuracy, optionally multistage mass data for compounds in samples. After a preliminary screening by retention time and high-resolution mass spectral data, known illegal adulterants can be detected. The mass spectral tree similarity filter technique has been applied to rapidly confirm these adulterants and simultaneously discover unknown ones. By using full-scan mass spectra as stem and data-dependent subsequent stage mass spectra to form branches, mass spectrometry data from detected compounds are converted into mass spectral trees. The known or unknown illegal adulterants in the samples are confirmed or discovered based on the similarity between their mass spectral trees and those of the references in a library, and they are finally quantified against standard curves. This new strategy has been tested by using 50 samples, and the illegal adulterants were rapidly and effectively detected, confirmed and quantified. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A virtual market for illegal trade in cultural goods: Palmyra in Syria as an example

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raja, Rubina

This publication is a report from the Nordic expert conference “Illicit trade in cultural artefacts. Stronger together: How can the Nordics join forces to stop the illegal import and export of cultural objects?” which was held in Oslo, 2 to 3 December 2015, following an initiative of the Nordic...... Ministers of Culture....

How effective are task forces in tackling illegal logging? Empirical evidence from Ghana

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Franck, Marte; Hansen, Christian Pilegaard

2014-01-01

not proven effective in Ghana. The task forces are influenced by corruption; interference by powerful actors; fear of violence; and logistical and resource-related challenges. The paper suggests that effectively addressing illegal logging in Ghana will require a more normative approach that involves policy...... reforms addressing fundamental issues such as rights to trees and benefits from them. Without such reforms, timber task forces as well as other types of “hard” law enforcement become illusive....

Externalities, Border Trade and Illegal Production: An Optimal Tax Approach to Alcohol Policy

OpenAIRE

Aronsson, Thomas; Sjögren, Tomas

2005-01-01

This paper deals with optimal income and commodity taxation in an economy, where alcohol is an externality-generating consumption good. In our model, alcohol can be bought domestically, imported (via border trade) or produced illegally. Border trade implies an incentive to set the domestic alcohol tax below the marginal social damage of alcohol, and to tax (subsidize) commodities which are complementary with (substitutable for) alcohol. In addition, since leisure and alcohol consumption are g...

Using Internet Artifacts to Profile a Child Pornography Suspect

OpenAIRE

Marcus K. Rogers; Kathryn C. Seigfried-Spellar

2014-01-01

Digital evidence plays a crucial role in child pornography investigations. However, in the following case study, the authors argue that the behavioral analysis or “profiling” of digital evidence can also play a vital role in child pornography investigations. The following case study assessed the Internet Browsing History (Internet Explorer Bookmarks, Mozilla Bookmarks, and Mozilla History) from a suspected child pornography user’s computer. The suspect in this case claimed to be conducting an...

Illegal Immigration: Is the Use of Military Force in Policing the United states' Border with Mexico a Viable Option?

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lopez, David

2001-01-01

Illegal immigration across the United States' borders, in particular the Southern Border with Mexico, has been a continual problem confronting our local, state and national political decision makers...

Formulating an Integrated Intervention Programme: Reshaping the Brain-Behaviour Functioning of Children in Conflict with Law in India

OpenAIRE

Priyanka Podder

2016-01-01

Juvenile delinquency is a serious social concern, characterized by disturbance in executive functions, cognitive emotion regulation and aggression. The term 'children in conflict with the law' refers to any individual below the age of 16 years, who has come in contact with the justice system as a result of committing an illegal activity or being suspected of committing an illegal activity. It can be easily understood that the Children in Conflict with Law require rehabilitative measur...

Destruction of illegal things and devices to contrast the counterfeiting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr.Sc. Mario Antinucci

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The movement of goods illegal and counterfeit in the circuit of the economy and the labor market, has put in place of criminal policy internal supranational and a primary need of confiscation and destruction in relation to safety issues transnational linked to all forms of counterfeiting, piracy agro-food to fraud in industrial brands of high fashion et similia: from here the major node of the procedure of destruction of goods illegal and counterfeit subject to seizure and confiscation and respect of guarantees communities of the criminal process, especially in the light of the amendment of art. 260, co. 3 bis and ter, c.p.p. with the d.l. 23-5-2008, n. 92 and subsequent amendments (so-called Safety Package. In line with the criminal policy of ''security'', in l. 23-7-2009, n. 99, the so-called Decree Development, between the ''darrangements for the development and the internationalization of enterprises, as well as in the field of energy'' and  wanted to redesign, with analytical provisions of particular edge, the perimeter of the criminal-law protection ''Dei property rights industrial'' through the introduction of four new hypothesis of offenses of counterfeiting (artt. 473, 474, 474 b and c, 517 b and c, c.p. and related hypothesis of obligatory confiscation (art. 474 bis and 517 ter c.p., with implications concerning the regime differentiated penitentiary (art. 4 bis, co. 1 ter, ord. penit. in relation to the cases of belonging to criminal association aimed to commit new offenses referred to in articles 473-474 c.p. (arts. 416 bis, 6º Co., c.p. and 51, co. 3 bis, c.p.p., as well as the regulatory body containing the so-called ''responsability of administrative entities'', within the meaning of art. 19, d.lg. 8-6-2001, n. 231.

Main spatial defects of illegal residential buildings : The case of Alto da Cova da Moura districts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Costa Branco De Oliveira Pedro, J.A.; Vilhena, A.; Baptista Coelho, A.; Vasconcelos Paiva, J.; Cruz, C.

2011-01-01

The purpose of the paper is to describe the main spatial defects in illegal residential buildings. Three research questions are addressed: What are the main spatial defects of the dwellings? What are the main spatial defects in the relation between buildings? What is the impact of spatial defects to

Prime Suspect, Second Row Center

Science.gov (United States)

Laird, Ellen A.

2011-01-01

His father had been hacked to death in his own bed with an ax the previous November. His mother was similarly brutalized and left for dead with her husband but survived. On the last Monday of that August, after several months and many investigative twists, turns, and fumbles, there sat the son--the prime suspect--in Ellen Laird's literature class,…

Peculiarities of the Enforcement of the European Arrest Warrant in the Case of an Illegal Liberty Deprivation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Minodora Ioana Rusu

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The illegal deprivation of liberty is, under the current context, one of the most serious offenses, being treated differently in the European Union. The need to prevent and combat this violation, it has led the European legislator to include it under different names in the European legislative act that governs the institution of the European arrest warrant. In this context, the European arrest warrant is the most important form of judicial cooperation in penal matters between the Member States of the EU, which is based on mutualrecognition of criminal judgments. The research conducted on how it is regulated the enforcement of the European arrest warrant in the case of illegal liberty deprivation in the European legislative act (the Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA leads to the conclusion that the legislature failed to mention the violation in question in the group of the violation for which it was not necessary the inspection of the double incrimination, but, still, including the offenses as kidnapping, illegal restraint and hostage-taking. Even if theRomanian legislator included this violation in the above mentioned group, this situation is not solved, because it will cause some problems in the request by the Romanian judicial authorities of the enforcement of such warrant. Another criticized issue, observed not only in the European legislative act, but also in the internal law, is related to the lack of stipulations, which can lead to the possibility of issuing and executing a European arrest warrant and for the execution of educational measures for illegal deprivation of liberty and also others. Also, in order to increase the effectiveness of the execution of a European arrest warrant, we consider that it should be granted executive powers of all courts of Romania. The originality of the work consists of the critical observations and the lege ferenda proposal which covers both the European legislativeact and the Romanian Law. At the same time

Aliphatic alcohols of illegally produced spirits can act synergistically on superoxide-anion production by human granulocytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnyas, Ervin M; Pál, László; Kovács, Csilla; Adány, Róza; McKee, Martin; Szűcs, Sándor

2012-10-01

Aliphatic alcohols present in illegally produced spirits in a large number of low and middle income countries have been implicated in the etiology of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. Previous studies have confirmed that chronic alcoholism can lead to increased susceptibility to infectious diseases. Reduced superoxide-anion (O(2)·(-)) production by granulocytes could provide a mechanism by which antimicrobial defense is impaired in alcoholics. In vitro experiments have also demonstrated that ethanol can inhibit granulocyte O(2)·(-) generation. Aliphatic alcohols consumed as contaminants of illicit spirits may also influence O(2)·(-) production thereby contributing to a decrease in microbicidal activity. The aim of this study was to investigate this possibility. It measured the O(2)·(-) production by human granulocytes following treatment of the cells with aliphatic alcohol contaminants found in illicit spirits. Granulocytes were isolated from human buffy coats with centrifugal elutriation and then treated with individual aliphatic alcohols and their mixture. The O(2)·(-) production was stimulated with phorbol-12-13-dibutyrate and N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) and measured by superoxide dismutase inhibitable reduction of ferricytochrome c. Aliphatic alcohols of illegally produced spirits inhibited the FMLP-induced O(2)·(-) production in a concentration dependent manner. They suppressed O(2)·(-) generation at 2.5-40 times lower concentrations when combined than when tested individually. Aliphatic alcohols found in illegally produced spirits can inhibit FMLP-induced O(2)·(-) production by granulocytes in a concentration-dependent manner. Due to their synergistic effects, it is possible that, in combination with ethanol, they may inhibit O(2)·(-) formation in heavy episodic drinkers.

Unfair lineups make witnesses more likely to confuse innocent and guilty suspects

OpenAIRE

Colloff, Melissa F.; Wade, Kimberley A.; Strange, D.

2016-01-01

Eyewitness-identification studies have focused on the idea that unfair lineups (i.e., ones in which the police suspect stands out) make witnesses more willing to identify the police suspect. We examined whether unfair lineups also influence subjects’ ability to distinguish between innocent and guilty suspects and their ability to judge the accuracy of their identification. In a single experiment (N = 8,925), we compared three fair-lineup techniques used by the police with unfair lineups in wh...

Magnetic resonance angiography in suspected cerebral vasculitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demaerel, Philippe; De Ruyter, Nele; Wilms, Guido; Maes, Frederik; Velghe, Beatrijs

2004-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the technical capacity and diagnostic accuracy of 3D time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in suspected cerebral vasculitis in a retrospective analysis of MRA and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in 14 young patients with clinical and/or radiological suspicion of cerebral vasculitis. A total of nine arteries were evaluated in each patient. Consensus review of DSA by three observers was the reference standard. The sensitivity for detecting a stenosis varied from 62 to 79% for MRA and from 76 to 94% for DSA, depending on the observer. The specificity for detecting a stenosis varied from 83 to 87% for MRA and from 83 to 97% for DSA. Using the criterion ''more than two stenoses in at least two separate vascular distributions'' to consider the examination as being true positive, the false-positive rates for MRA and DSA were comparable. MRA plays a role as the first angiographical examination in the diagnostic work-up of suspected cerebral vasculitis. When more than two stenoses in at least two separate vascular distributions are depicted on MRA, DSA is not expected to add a significant diagnostic contribution in a patient with suspected cerebral vasculitis. DSA remains necessary when MRA is normal or when less than three stenoses are seen. (orig.)

Magnetic resonance angiography in suspected cerebral vasculitis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Demaerel, Philippe; De Ruyter, Nele; Wilms, Guido [Department of Radiology, Universitair Ziekenhuis, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven (Belgium); Maes, Frederik [Department of Medical Imaging Computing, Universitair Ziekenhuis, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven (Belgium); Velghe, Beatrijs [Department of Radiology, Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Schiepse Bos 6, 3600, Genk (Belgium)

2004-06-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the technical capacity and diagnostic accuracy of 3D time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in suspected cerebral vasculitis in a retrospective analysis of MRA and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in 14 young patients with clinical and/or radiological suspicion of cerebral vasculitis. A total of nine arteries were evaluated in each patient. Consensus review of DSA by three observers was the reference standard. The sensitivity for detecting a stenosis varied from 62 to 79% for MRA and from 76 to 94% for DSA, depending on the observer. The specificity for detecting a stenosis varied from 83 to 87% for MRA and from 83 to 97% for DSA. Using the criterion ''more than two stenoses in at least two separate vascular distributions'' to consider the examination as being true positive, the false-positive rates for MRA and DSA were comparable. MRA plays a role as the first angiographical examination in the diagnostic work-up of suspected cerebral vasculitis. When more than two stenoses in at least two separate vascular distributions are depicted on MRA, DSA is not expected to add a significant diagnostic contribution in a patient with suspected cerebral vasculitis. DSA remains necessary when MRA is normal or when less than three stenoses are seen. (orig.)

Law enforcement staff perceptions of illegal hunting and wildlife conservation in the Gonarezhou National Park, southeast Zimbabwe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gandiwa, E.; Zisadza-Gandiwa, P.; Mango, L.; Jakarasi, J.

2014-01-01

Globally, pressure from the illegal harvesting of wildlife is a recurrent issue for protected area management. In order to ensure the effective conservation of wildlife resources, law enforcement has been identified as one of the most important components of protected area management. Our study

The Use of Legal, Illegal, and Roll-you-own Cigarettes to Increasing Tobacco Excise Taxes and Comprehensive Tobacco Control Policies-Findings from the ITC Uruguay Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Curti, Dardo; Shang, Ce; Ridgeway, William; Chaloupka, Frank J.; Fong, Geoffrey T

2015-01-01

Background Little research has been done to examine whether smokers switch to illegal or roll-your-own (RYO) cigarettes in response to a change in their relative price. Objective This paper explores how relative prices between three cigarette forms (manufactured legal, manufactured illegal, and RYO cigarettes) are associated with the choice of one form over another after controlling for covariates, including sociodemographic characteristics, smokers’ exposure to anti-smoking messaging, health warning labels, and tobacco marketing. Methods Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were employed to analyse the association between the price ratio of two different cigarette forms and the usage of one form over the other. Findings A 10% increase in the relative price ratio of legal to RYO cigarettes is associated with 4.6% increase in the probability of consuming RYO over manufactured legal cigarettes (P≤0.05). In addition, more exposure to anti-smoking messaging is associated with lower odds of choosing RYO over manufactured legal cigarettes (P≤0.05). Non-significant associations exist between the manufactured illegal to legal cigarette price ratios and choosing manufactured illegal cigarettes, suggesting that smokers do not switch to manufactured illegal cigarettes as prices of legal ones increase. However, these non-significant findings may be due to lack of variation in the price ratio measures. In order to improve the effectiveness of increased taxes and prices in reducing smoking, policy makers need to narrow price variability in the tobacco market. Moreover, increasing anti-smoking messaging reduces tax avoidance in the form of switching to cheaper RYO cigarettes in Uruguay. PMID:25740084

A Decision Support System for Land Allocation under Multiple Objectives in Public Production Forests in the Brazilian Amazon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco W. Lentini

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Logging in natural forests is a vital economic activity in the Brazilian Amazon. However, illegal and unplanned logging is exhausting forests rapidly. In 2006, a new forestry law in Brazil (Lei 11,284/2006 established the legal framework to develop state and national public forests for multiple uses. To support public forest planning efforts, we combine spatially explicit data on logging profits, biodiversity, and potential for community use for use within a forest planning optimization model. While generating optimal land use configurations, the model enables an assessment of the market and nonmarket tradeoffs associated with different land use priorities. We demonstrate the model's use for Faro State Forest, a 636,000 ha forest embedded within a large mosaic of conservation units recently established in the state of Pará. The datasets used span the entire Brazilian Amazon, implying that the analysis can be repeated for any public forest planning effort within the region.

Imaging trends in suspected appendicitis-a Canadian perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Victoria F; Patlas, Michael N; Katz, Douglas S

2017-06-01

The purpose of our study was to assess trends in the imaging of suspected appendicitis in adult patients in emergency departments of academic centers in Canada. A questionnaire was sent to all 17 academic centers in Canada to be completed by a radiologist who works in emergency radiology. The questionnaires were sent and collected over a period of 4 months from October 2015 to February 2016. Sixteen centers (94%) responded to the questionnaire. Eleven respondents (73%) use IV contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) as the imaging modality of choice for all patients with suspected appendicitis. Thirteen respondents (81%) use ultrasound as the first modality of choice in imaging pregnant patients with suspected appendicitis. Eleven respondents (69%) use ultrasound (US) as the first modality of choice in patients younger than 40 years of age. Ten respondents (67%) use ultrasound as the first imaging modality in female patients younger than 40 years of age. When CT is used, 81% use non-focused CT of the abdomen and pelvis, and 44% of centers use oral contrast. Thirteen centers (81%) have ultrasound available 24 h a day/7 days a week. At 12 centers (75%), ultrasound is performed by ultrasound technologists. Four centers (40%) perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in suspected appendicitis in adult patients at the discretion of the attending radiologist. Eleven centers (69%) have MRI available 24/7. All 16 centers (100%) use unenhanced MRI. Various imaging modalities are available for the work-up of suspected appendicitis. Although there are North American societal guidelines and recommendations regarding the appropriateness of the multiple imaging modalities, significant heterogeneity in the first-line modalities exist, which vary depending on the patient demographics and resource availability. Imaging trends in the use of the first-line modalities should be considered in order to plan for the availability of the imaging examinations and to consider plans for

Using crowd sourcing to combat potentially illegal or dangerous UAV operations

Science.gov (United States)

Tapsall, Brooke T.

2016-10-01

The UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) industry is growing exponentially at a pace that policy makers, individual countries and law enforcement agencies are finding difficult to keep up. The UAV market is large, as such the amount of UAVs being operated in potentially dangerous situations is prevalent and rapidly increasing. Media is continually reporting `near-miss' incidents between UAVs and commercial aircraft, UAV breaching security in sensitive areas or invading public privacy. One major challenge for law enforcement agencies is gaining tangible evidence against potentially dangerous or illegal UAV operators due to the rapidity with which UAV operators are able to enter, fly and exit a scene before authorities can arrive or before they can be located. DroneALERT, an application available via the Airport-UAV.com website, allows users to capture potentially dangerous or illegal UAV activity using their mobile device as it the incident is occurring. A short online DroneALERT Incident Report (DIR) is produced, emailed to the user and the Airport-UAV.com custodians. The DIR can be used to aid authorities in their investigations. The DIR contains details such as images and videos, location, time, date of the incident, drone model, its distance and height. By analysing information from the DIR, photos or video, there is a high potential for law enforcement authorities to use this evidence to identify the type of UAV used, triangulate the location of the potential dangerous UAV and operator, create a timeline of events, potential areas of operator exit and to determine the legalities breached. All provides crucial evidence for identifying and prosecuting a UAV operator.

Hepatotoxicity of illegal home-made alcohols.

Science.gov (United States)

Gökce, Hasan; Akcan, Ramazan; Celikel, Adnan; Zeren, Cem; Ortanca, Ibrahim; Demirkiran, Sumeyra

2016-10-01

Alcohol-related hepatotoxicity is not only caused by excessive alcohol consumption but also caused and even accelerated by hepatotoxic ingredients other than ethanol. Concentrations of hepatotoxic substances might be significantly high, particularly in illegally produced home-made alcohols. In this study we aim to analyze the hepatotoxic effects of a home-made alcohol traditionally called "bogma raki" in Turkey. Fifty Wistar albino male rats were used. Five groups were randomly formed with ten animals in each. Besides laboratory diets, groups were fed as follows: Group 1 (control group) distilled water; Group 2 bogma raki with distilled water (%44 (v/v), 9.2 ml/kg/day); Group 3 bogma raki with distilled water (%44 (v/v), 9.2 ml/kg/day)+walnut (10 g/kg/day); Group 4 whisky with distilled water (%40 (v/v), 9.2 ml/kg/day); Group 5 distilled water + walnut (10 g/kg/day), for 28 days. The toxicological analysis of The spirits were analyzed using Hewlett-Packard (Palo Alto, CA) GC/MS system with HP 6890 gas chromatograph, an HP 5972 mass selective detector (MSD) and an HP 6890 automatic liquid sampler GC/MS; the pressure of the carrier gas helium was 6.0 bar and the split value with a ratio of 1:100. The injection unit temperature set to 250 °C and MS quadrupole temperature set to 280 °C. The MS quadrupole detector ionization energy set to 70 eV. The initial column temperature was 60 °C (for 4 min) programmed by 6 °C/min to final temperature 160 °C and kept for 8 min at 160 °C. Utilized whisky and bogma raki samples were analyzed for the amounts of trans-anethole, ethanol, methanol, 1-propanolol, butanol, 2-butanol, 2-methyl-1-propanolol (isobutanol) and 3-methylbutanol (isoamyl alcohol). Histopathological changes in liver tissues were graded as follows; normal = 0 (illegally produced raki sample (%v/v) was as follows: trans-anethole %1.93, ethanol %95.70, 2-methyl-1-propanolol (isobutanol) %0.19, asetic acid %0.25, 3-methylbutanol (isoamyl

Nuclear Pedigree Criteria of Suspected HNPCC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kładny Józef

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract The criteria for the diagnosis of HNPCC established by the ICG-HNPCC are very restrictive as they do not allow for the diagnosis of a large number of "suspected HNPCC" cases - these are families which do no fulfill the strict diagnostic "Amsterdam criteria", but do present with several pedigree and clinical features characteristic for HNPCC. Several series of families suspected of harboring germline mutations in DNA mismatch repair genes have been studied for germline changes in DNA mismatch repair genes and a mutation rate of somewhere between 8-60% was found. Therefore a subgroup of members of the ICG-HNPCC has been working on pedigree/clinical diagnostic criteria for suspected HNPCC. Materials and methods Part I The study was based on two series of colorectal cancer (CRC cases: 1 HNPCC - this group comprised 190 patients affected by CRC from randomly selected families which fulfilled the Amsterdam II criteria registered in Düsseldorf, Germany (102 cases of CRC, Denmark (18 CRCs, Leiden, Holland (23 CRCs and Szczecin, Poland (47 CRCs. 2 Consecutive CRCs - this group comprised 629 (78.0% of 806 individuals with CRC diagnosed in 1991-1997 in the city of Szczecin (ca. 400,000 of inhabitants, Poland. Nuclear pedigrees in both groups were compared for frequency of occurrence of clinical features, that have been shown to be associated with HNPCC. Part II 52 consecutive CRC cases from Szczecin, matching the criteria recognized in part I as appropriate for diagnosis of cases "suspected of HNPCC" were studied for the occurrence of germline hMSH2/hMLH1 constitutional mutations using "exon by exon" sequencing. Results The combination of features - i.e. the occurrence of an HNPCC associated cancer (CRC or cancer of the endometrium, small bowel or urinary tract in a 1st degree relative of a CRC patient; at least one of the patients being diagnosed under age of 50 - appeared to be strongly associated to HNPCC with an OR - 161. Constitutional

Definition of the Situation of Children Demobilized Illegal Armed Groups in the Legal Acts and Psychoeducational Effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaime Alberto Carmona Parra

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The article begins with a reflection on performative utterances, which are speech acts, to show that the right contributes to the creation of reality and subjectivity. Based on this argument examines five definitions of the situation of children demobilized from illegal armed groups in Colombia, named according to their effects psychoeducational: victimizing, pathologizing, criminalizing, idealizing and responsabilizing. Each definition is examined in terms of their philosophical affiliation, deterministic, nondeterministic or interactionist, its effects on the construction of the identity of minors and in his appeal to responsibility and legal insanity. At the end of the article shows the intervention proposals arising from each of the definitions and shows the role that restorative justice can play in building a model of care which confers responsibility to the children demobilized from illegal armed groups, and other victims of armed conflict, which guarantees the restitution of rights and also empowers them as key actors in redefining their social role and identity reconstruction.

Protection of asylum seekers and illegal migrants human rights: Practice of the European Court of Human Rights

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Đukanović Anđela

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Protection of asylum seeker and Illegal migrants human rights, has often been difficult due to the need of states to regulate unwanted migration flows. European Court of Human Rights plays an important role in protecting the rights of these individuals, through a set of human rights. Requests for interim measures under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court also have great importance. In cases involving illegal migrants and asylum-seekers, Court was often in difficult position, given the contradictions that could arise from the protection of human rights and the legitimate aim of the Contracting States to control the entry, residence and expulsion of aliens. Recent Courts judgment in case of M. S. S. against Belgium is particularly important, because of its remarkable influence on the perception of a common asylum system in the EU, as well as the judgment in the case of Jama Hirsi and Others v. Italy.

Illegal and Unsustainable Wildlife Hunting and Trade in Mongolia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Zahler

2004-12-01

Full Text Available Recent reports and studies document dramatic declines in a wide variety of wildlife species in Mongolia. The prime driver in these declines appears to be illegal and unsustainable hunting, both for local trade and consumption and for the international market. While data on these declines are sparse, comparisons of survey reports since the 1980s present evidence that some species may have declined by up to 90% in recent years. We outline the situation for eight major species of wildlife in Mongolia (saiga antelope, Mongolian gazelle, red deer , musk deer , ar gali, brown bear , Siberian marmot, and saker falcon. We then review the existing legal conditions and government efforts to control this situation, and suggest specific changes and actions that Mongolia should take to halt these dramatic declines in wildlife populations and avoid what may soon become an extinction crisis.

Developing a theory of change for a community-based response to illegal wildlife trade.

Science.gov (United States)

Biggs, Duan; Cooney, Rosie; Roe, Dilys; Dublin, Holly T; Allan, James R; Challender, Dan W S; Skinner, Diane

2017-02-01

The escalating illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is one of the most high-profile conservation challenges today. The crisis has attracted over US$350 million in donor and government funding in recent years, primarily directed at increased enforcement. There is growing recognition among practitioners and policy makers of the need to engage rural communities that neighbor or live with wildlife as key partners in tackling IWT. However, a framework to guide such community engagement is lacking. We developed a theory of change (ToC) to guide policy makers, donors, and practitioners in partnering with communities to combat IWT. We identified 4 pathways for community-level actions: strengthen disincentives for illegal behavior, increase incentives for wildlife stewardship, decrease costs of living with wildlife, and support livelihoods that are not related to wildlife. To succeed the pathways, all require strengthening of enabling conditions, including capacity building, and of governance. Our ToC serves to guide actions to tackle IWT and to inform the evaluation of policies. Moreover, it can be used to foster dialogue among IWT stakeholders, from local communities to governments and international donors, to develop a more effective, holistic, and sustainable community-based response to the IWT crisis. © 2016 The Authors. Conservation Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology.

Undocumented Intelligence: Laying Low by Achieving High--An "Illegal Alien's" Co-Option of School and Citizenship

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Aurora

2016-01-01

In this article, I relay the irony of my own path as an "illegal alien" in the US--identifying the tension between being a successful student earning straight As and accolades for good citizenship, while hiding my undocumented legal status. Drawing from the notions of race, smartness and citizenship as social constructions, I use a…

Identification and analysis the illegal dumping spot of solid waste at Ciliwung segment 5 riverbanks

Science.gov (United States)

Indrawati, D.; Purwaningrum, P.

2018-01-01

Ciliwung River is the main river in the area of Jakarta that is divided into six segments across West Java and Jakarta. The study focuses on the fifth segment which is 30 km long, covering from Kelapa Dua Depok to Manggarai, South Jakarta. The survey of the river consists of 3 sub-segments: Lenteng Agung, Pejaten Timur and Manggarai. Objectives of the study are to describe the characteristics and typology of the residential surrounding the Ciliwung Segment 5 Riverbank, to identification the illegal dumping spot of solid waste, to measure the volume and composition of solid waste in the riverbank, to decide solid waste management for residential area surrounding river banks to control the river pollution. The study shows that there are 11 illegal dumping spot of solid waste consisting of 4.37 m3 solid waste volume. The average composition of solid waste consists of 44% organic, 14% woods, 12% papers, 11% plastics, 3% rubbers, 1% metals and 2% others. To control the river pollution efforts are restoring the function of riverbanks to become green open space area, installing the trash rack into the river, to manage domestic solid waste based on 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) concept.

Molecular tracing of confiscated pangolin scales for conservation and illegal trade monitoring in Southeast Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Huarong; Miller, Mark P.; Yang, Feng; Chan, Hon Ki; Gaubert, Philippe; Ades, Gary; Fischer, Gunter A

2015-01-01

Despite being protected by both international and national regulations, pangolins are threatened by illegal trade. Here we report mitochondrial DNA identification and haplotype richness estimation, using 239 pangolin scale samples from two confiscations in Hong Kong. We found a total of 13 genetically distinct cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) haplotypes in two confiscations (13 and ten haplotypes respectively, with ten shared haplotypes between confiscations). These haplotypes clustered in two distinct clades with one clade representing the Sunda pangolin (Manisjavanica). The other clade did not match with any known Asian pangolin sequences, and likely represented a cryptic pangolin lineage in Asia. By fitting sample coverage and rarefaction/regression models to our sample data, we predicted that the total number of COI haplotypes in two confiscations were 14.86 and 11.06 respectively, suggesting that our sampling caught the majority of haplotypes and that we had adequately characterized each confiscation. We detected substantial sequence divergence among the seized scales, likely evidencing that the Sunda pangolins were harvested over wide geographical areas across Southeast Asia. Our study illustrates the value of applying DNA forensics for illegal wildlife trade monitoring.

Molecular tracing of confiscated pangolin scales for conservation and illegal trade monitoring in Southeast Asia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huarong Zhang

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Despite being protected by both international and national regulations, pangolins are threatened by illegal trade. Here we report mitochondrial DNA identification and haplotype richness estimation, using 239 pangolin scale samples from two confiscations in Hong Kong. We found a total of 13 genetically distinct cytochrome c oxidase I (COI haplotypes in two confiscations (13 and ten haplotypes respectively, with ten shared haplotypes between confiscations. These haplotypes clustered in two distinct clades with one clade representing the Sunda pangolin (Manisjavanica. The other clade did not match with any known Asian pangolin sequences, and likely represented a cryptic pangolin lineage in Asia. By fitting sample coverage and rarefaction/regression models to our sample data, we predicted that the total number of COI haplotypes in two confiscations were 14.86 and 11.06 respectively, suggesting that our sampling caught the majority of haplotypes and that we had adequately characterized each confiscation. We detected substantial sequence divergence among the seized scales, likely evidencing that the Sunda pangolins were harvested over wide geographical areas across Southeast Asia. Our study illustrates the value of applying DNA forensics for illegal wildlife trade monitoring.

Provider-initiated HIV testing and counselling for TB patients and suspects in Nairobi, Kenya.

Science.gov (United States)

Odhiambo, J; Kizito, W; Njoroge, A; Wambua, N; Nganga, L; Mburu, M; Mansoer, J; Marum, L; Phillips, E; Chakaya, J; De Cock, K M

2008-03-01

Integrated tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) services in a resource-constrained setting. Pilot provider-initiated HIV testing and counselling (PITC) for TB patients and suspects. Through partnerships, resources were mobilised to establish and support services. After community sensitisation and staff training, PITC was introduced to TB patients and then to TB suspects from December 2003 to December 2005. Of 5457 TB suspects who received PITC, 89% underwent HIV testing. Although not statistically significant, TB suspects with TB disease had an HIV prevalence of 61% compared to 63% for those without. Of the 614 suspects who declined HIV testing, 402 (65%) had TB disease. Of 2283 patients referred for cotrimoxazole prophylaxis, 1951 (86%) were enrolled, and of 1727 patients assessed for antiretroviral treatment (ART), 1618 (94%) were eligible and 1441 (83%) started treatment. PITC represents a paradigm shift and is feasible and acceptable to TB patients and TB suspects. Clear directives are nevertheless required to change practice. When offered to TB suspects, PITC identifies large numbers of persons requiring HIV care. Community sensitisation, staff training, multitasking and access to HIV care contributed to a high acceptance of HIV testing. Kenya is using this experience to inform national response and advocate wide PITC implementation in settings faced with the TB-HIV epidemic.

Adolescent girls, illegal abortions and "sugar-daddies" in Dar es Salaam: vulnerable victims and active social agents

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Silberschmidt, Margrethe; Rasch, V

2001-01-01

they became pregnant, and many counted on an illegally induced abortion if they got pregnant. Even if adolescents are now allowed free access to family planning information, education and services, our study shows that this remains in the realm of theory rather than practice. Moreover, most adolescent girls...

Unexpected MRI findings in clinically suspected Legg-Calve-Perthes disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lobert, Philip F.; Dillman, Jonathan R.; Strouse, Peter J.; Hernandez, Ramiro J. [University of Michigan Health System, Department of Radiology, Section of Pediatric Radiology, C.S. Mott Children' s Hospital/F3503, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

2011-03-15

In the setting of clinically suspected Legg-Calve-Perthes (LCP) disease and negative/equivocal radiographs, contrast-enhanced MRI can be performed to confirm the diagnosis. To determine the frequency of unexpected causes of hip pain as identified by MRI in children with clinically suspected LCP disease and negative/equivocal radiographs. All pediatric contrast-enhanced MRI examinations of the pelvis and hips performed between January 2000 and February 2009 to evaluate for possible LCP disease in the setting of negative/equivocal radiographs were identified. MRI examinations performed to evaluate for secondary avascular necrosis were excluded. Imaging reports were retrospectively reviewed for unexpected clinically important causes of hip pain. Thirty-six pediatric patients underwent contrast-enhanced MRI examinations for clinically suspected LCP disease in the setting of negative/equivocal radiographs. Twenty-two (61%) imaging studies were normal, while four (11%) imaging studies demonstrated findings consistent with LCP disease. Ten (28%) imaging studies revealed unexpected clinically important causes of hip pain, including nonspecific unilateral joint effusion and synovitis (n = 7, juvenile chronic arthritis was eventually diagnosed in 3 patients), sacral fracture (n = 1), apophyseal injury (n = 1), and femoral head subluxation (n = 1). MRI frequently reveals unexpected clinically important causes of hip pain in children with suspected LCP disease and negative/equivocal radiographs. (orig.)

Percutaneous cholecystocentesis in cats with suspected hepatobiliary disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Byfield, Victoria L; Callahan Clark, Julie E; Turek, Bradley J; Bradley, Charles W; Rondeau, Mark P

2017-12-01

Objectives The objective was to evaluate the safety and diagnostic utility of percutaneous ultrasound-guided cholecystocentesis (PUC) in cats with suspected hepatobiliary disease. Methods Medical records of 83 cats with suspected hepatobiliary disease that underwent PUC were retrospectively reviewed. Results At the time of PUC, at least one additional procedure was performed in 79/83 cats, including hepatic aspiration and/or biopsy (n = 75) and splenic aspiration (n = 18). Complications were noted in 14/83 cases, including increased abdominal fluid (n = 11), needle-tip occlusion (n = 1), failed first attempt to penetrate the gall bladder wall (n = 1) and pneumoperitoneum (n = 1). There were no reports of gall bladder rupture, bile peritonitis or hypotension necessitating treatment with vasopressor medication. Blood products were administered to 7/83 (8%) cats. Seventy-two cats (87%) survived to discharge. Of the cats that were euthanized (9/83) or died (2/83), none were reported as a definitive consequence of PUC. Bacteria were identified cytologically in 10/71 samples (14%); all 10 had a positive aerobic bacterial culture. Bile culture was positive in 11/80 samples (14%). Of the cases with a positive bile culture, cytological description of bacteria corresponded to the organism cultured in fewer than 50% of cases. The most common cytologic diagnosis was hepatic lipidosis (49/66). The most common histopathologic diagnosis was cholangitis (10/21). Conclusions and relevance PUC was safe in this group of cats with suspected hepatobiliary disease. Complications were likely associated with ancillary procedures performed at the time of PUC. Bile analysis yielded an abnormal result in nearly one-third of cats with suspected hepatobiliary disease. Complete agreement between bile cytology and culture was lacking. Further evaluation of the correlation between bile cytology and bile culture is warranted.

Handbook for Response to Suspect Radioactive Materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cliff, William C.; Pappas, Richard A.; Arthur, Richard J.

2005-01-01

This document provides response actions to be performed following the initial port, airport, or border crossing discovery of material that is suspected of being radioactive. The purpose of this guide is to provide actions appropriate for handling radioactive material

A property rights-based analysis of the illegal logging for fuelwood in Kosovo

OpenAIRE

Bouriaud, L.; Nichiforel , L.; Ribeiro Nunes, L. M.; Pereira, H.; Bajraktari, A.

2014-01-01

The increased demand for fuelwood may have the side-effect of unsustainable use of forest resource. The case of Kosovo fuelwood production is of a peculiar relevance to studying the drivers of the unsustainable patterns of forest biomass use in a post-war and poor economic context. The domestic market demand for fuelwood in Kosovo is estimated at more than 1.5 hm3, while the legal supply, including imports, is slightly higher than 0.3 hm3. Illegal logging for satisfying Kosovo population fuel...

[Suspected Alzheimer's disease. Selection of outpatients for neuropsychological assessment].

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, S A; Henry, M; Deike, R; Ebert, A D; Wallesch, C-W

2008-04-01

Incipient Alzheimer's disease (AD) is frequently suspected by neurologists and psychiatrists, but diagnosis is difficult to establish. The aim of this report was to analyse to what extent suspicion is confirmed by a comprehensive neuropsychological examination intended to distinguish different types of dementia. Descriptive data analysis was used for investigating the differential diagnoses of 47 outpatients with suspected AD referred to a department of neuropsychology by physicians in private practice. Data analysis was based upon the NINCDS-ADRDA diagnostic criteria of AD. Only 38% of the outpatients examined with suspected AD met the NINCDS-ADRDA diagnostic criteria for AD or mixed dementia from a neuropsychological point of view, whereas 22% met criteria for other types of dementia. The remaining patients met criteria for distinct differential diagnoses (23%) or lacked pathological findings in neuropsychological functions (17%). Neuropsychology is an essential part in the differential diagnosis of mild to moderate dementias. It can aid in differential therapeutic considerations concerning the treatment of dementia, for example in selecting appropriate treatments or avoiding expensive but inappropriate ones.

Police officers' perceptions and experiences with mentally disordered suspects.

Science.gov (United States)

Oxburgh, Laura; Gabbert, Fiona; Milne, Rebecca; Cherryman, Julie

Despite mentally disordered suspects being over-represented within the criminal justice system, there is a dearth of published literature that examines police officers' perceptions when interviewing this vulnerable group. This is concerning given that police officers are increasingly the first point of contact with these individuals. Using a Grounded Theory approach, this study examined 35 police officers' perceptions and experiences when interviewing mentally disordered suspects. Current safeguards, such as Appropriate Adults, and their experiences of any training they received were also explored. A specially designed questionnaire was developed and distributed across six police forces in England and Wales. Nine conceptual categories emerged from the data that highlighted how police officers' level of experience impacted upon their perceptions when dealing with this cohort. As a consequence, a new model grounded within Schema Theory has emerged termed Police Experience Transitional Model. Implications include the treatment and outcome of mentally disordered suspects being heavily dependent on whom they encounter within the criminal justice system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prevalence and Correlates of Suspected Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Chinese Children

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Peige Song

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD has become a serious public health problem worldwide; however, the availability of information on the prevalence of NAFLD in the general pediatric population is still limited. The primary aim of this study was to reveal the prevalence and correlates of suspected NAFLD in Chinese children at the national level. Data from the China Health and Nutrition Surveys (CHNS was used. Weight, height, waist circumference (WC, blood pressure (BP were measured for children aged 7–18 years. Blood samples were collected and analyzed. Children were classified as having suspected NAFLD if common causes of liver disease were excluded, and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT values were above the established thresholds (>22.1 IU/L for girls and >25.8 IU/L for boys. A percentage of 9.03% (75 out of 831 of Chinese children was found to have suspected NAFLD. Overweight and obesity according to BMI percentiles, abdominal obesity, hyperuricemia (uric acid (UA > 327 μmol/L, and elevated total cholesterol (TC were all detected as the correlates of childhood suspected NAFLD when adjusting for other factors. Our study revealed the prevalence of suspected NAFLD in general Chinese children at the national level for the first time. Our findings indicate that suspected NAFLD in children is associated with increasing childhood morbidities, further studies are needed to better understand the prevalence of childhood NAFLD and its correlates, and large-scale programs should be launched to screen NAFLD in the pediatric population in China.

Isolation and characterization of avian influenza viruses from raw poultry products illegally imported to Japan by international flight passengers.

Science.gov (United States)

Shibata, A; Hiono, T; Fukuhara, H; Sumiyoshi, R; Ohkawara, A; Matsuno, K; Okamatsu, M; Osaka, H; Sakoda, Y

2018-04-01

The transportation of poultry and related products for international trade contributes to transboundary pathogen spread and disease outbreaks worldwide. To prevent pathogen incursion through poultry products, many countries have regulations about animal health and poultry product quarantine. However, in Japan, animal products have been illegally introduced into the country in baggage and confiscated at the airport. Lately, the number of illegally imported poultry and the incursion risk of transboundary pathogens through poultry products have been increasing. In this study, we isolated avian influenza viruses (AIVs) from raw poultry products illegally imported to Japan by international passengers. Highly (H5N1 and H5N6) and low (H9N2 and H1N2) pathogenic AIVs were isolated from raw chicken and duck products carried by flight passengers. H5 and H9 isolates were phylogenetically closely related to viruses isolated from poultry in China, and haemagglutinin genes of H5N1 and H5N6 isolates belonged to clades 2.3.2.1c and 2.3.4.4, respectively. Experimental infections of H5 and H9 isolates in chickens and ducks demonstrated pathogenicity and tissue tropism to skeletal muscles. To prevent virus incursion by poultry products, it is important to encourage the phased cleaning based on the disease control and eradication and promote the reduction in contamination risk in animal products. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Securing the Chernobyl exclusion zone against illegal movement of radioactive materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bondarenko, O. O.; Proskura, M. I.; Duftschmid, K. E.; Kravchencko, N. E.

2004-01-01

. Within the framework of the IAEA Nuclear Security Program the technical cooperation project S trengthening Security of Nuclear Materials in Ukraine ( UKR/0/008) is aimed primarily to strengthen protection the entrance/exit checkpoints of the Chernobyl exclusion zone and adjacent State borders of Ukraine against illicit movement of radioactive materials (including nuclear materials). The particular situation of the exclusion zone presents a high risk of uncontrolled movement of radioactive materials from and into the exclusion zone. In view of the future construction of the S helter-2 a nd decommissioning of the three closed reactor blocks it is expected that the traffic through the exclusion zone will considerably increase in the next years and those large amounts of possibly contaminated metal scrap, construction material and equipment will leave the zone. There is also a risk of illegal movement of radioactive waste into the zone, possibly also through the international border, which could make the zone to an illegal dumping ground for radioactive waste. As practice shows theft of nuclear materials cannot be excluded. The general concept of the project is based on modernization of old and deployment of new vehicle (road and railway) and pedestrian monitoring equipment at all checkpoints of the exclusion zone including road checkpoints, train stations and river ports. A central station of data acquisition and management is to be located in Chernobyl. The equipment to be installed has to meet new technical requirements developed by IAEA. This includes, e.g. sensitivity of gamma and neutron detection, identification of innocent alarms caused by NORM materials or medical radioisotopes, accurate indication of the source position in the vehicle, and remote identification of license plate by advanced video systems. The implementation of the project and deployment of the equipment is expected to start in 2003 and should be completed in 2005. (Author)

Suspected Child Maltreatment: Recognize and Respond

Science.gov (United States)

Kemple, Kristen Mary; Kim, Hae Kyoung

2011-01-01

Early childhood educators spend extensive amounts of time with young children, so they are often the first adults to notice signs that a child may be abused or neglected. All educators are required by law to report suspected maltreatment, and can play an important role in preventing and responding to abuse and neglect of young children. What is…

The Land Use and Cover Change in Miombo Woodlands under Community Based Forest Management and Its Implication to Climate Change Mitigation: A Case of Southern Highlands of Tanzania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. J. Lupala

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In Tanzania, miombo woodland is the most significant forest vegetation with both ecological and socioeconomic importance. The vegetation has been threatened from land use and cover change due to unsustainable utilization. Over the past two decades, community based forest management (CBFM has been practiced to address the problem. Given the current need to mitigate global climate change, little is known on the influence of CBFM to the land use and cover change in miombo woodlands and therefore compromising climate change mitigation strategies. This study explored the dynamic of land use and covers change and biomass due to CBFM and established the implication to climate change mitigation. The study revealed increasing miombo woodland cover density with decreasing unsustainable utilization. The observed improvement in cover density and biomass provides potential for climate change mitigation strategies. CBFM also developed solidarity, cohesion, and social control of miombo woodlands illegal extraction. This further enhances permanence, reduces leakage, and increases accountability requirement for carbon credits. Collectively with these promising results, good land use plan at village level and introduction of alternative income generating activities can be among the best options to further reduce land use change and biomass loss in miombo woodlands.

DNA typing from vaginal smear slides in suspected rape cases

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Dayse Aparecida da Silva

Full Text Available In an investigation of suspected rape, proof of sexual assault with penetration is required. In view of this, detailed descriptions of the genitalia, the thighs and pubic region are made within the forensic medical service. In addition, vaginal swabs are taken from the rape victim and some of the biological material collected is then transferred to glass slides. In this report, we describe two rape cases solved using DNA typing from cells recovered from vaginal smear slides. In 1999, two young women informed the Rio de Janeiro Police Department that they had been victims of sexual assaults. A suspect was arrested and the victims identified him as the offender. The suspect maintained that he was innocent. In order to elucidate these crimes, vaginal smear slides were sent to the DNA Diagnostic Laboratory for DNA analysis three months after the crimes, as unique forensic evidence. To get enough epithelial and sperm cells to perform DNA analysis, we used protocols modified from the previously standard protocols used for DNA extraction from biological material fixed on glass slides. The quantity of cells was sufficient to perform human DNA typing using nine short tandem repeat (STR loci. It was 3.3 billion times more probable that it was the examined suspect who had left sperm cells in the victims, rather than any other individual in the population of Rio de Janeiro.

Radiation protection for the illegal governmental use of radiation sources. A case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, K.

2000-01-01

Probably for the first time, illegal governmental uses of radiation sources, including the administrative infrastructure such as special radiation protection regulation, an advisory body etc., have been documented by the evaluation of the documents of the Ministry of State Security in the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Over a thousand persons, but also documents, money bills etc. were marked with a wide variety of radionuclides and traced with specially developed detectors. Among the many different nuclides provided regularly from the Rossendorf Research Center near Dresden, in particular 46 Sc was popular. (orig.) [de

The importance of distinguishing illegality from guilt in trials for alleged medical malpractice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manuel Fernando Díaz Brousse

2012-10-01

Full Text Available A proper analysis of the essential elements that comprise a criminal offense that falls under the purview of medical negligence is fundamental in order to rule, in justice, cases of alleged malpractice. It is necessary to properly distinguish between accusations of illegality and those of guilt. Open legal essays and precedents about such illicit acts provide judges with great latitude in determining when acts are consistent or not with standard care. This power mandates that judges should ground their convictions on objective infringements of the law rather than subjective criteria.

Identifying Demand Responses to Illegal Drug Supply Interdictions.

Science.gov (United States)

Cunningham, Scott; Finlay, Keith

2016-10-01

Successful supply-side interdictions into illegal drug markets are predicated on the responsiveness of drug prices to enforcement and the price elasticity of demand for addictive drugs. We present causal estimates that targeted interventions aimed at methamphetamine input markets ('precursor control') can temporarily increase retail street prices, but methamphetamine consumption is weakly responsive to higher drug prices. After the supply interventions, purity-adjusted prices increased then quickly returned to pre-treatment levels within 6-12 months, demonstrating the short-term effects of precursor control. The price elasticity of methamphetamine demand is -0.13 to -0.21 for self-admitted drug treatment admissions and between -0.24 and -0.28 for hospital inpatient admissions. We find some evidence of a positive cross-price effect for cocaine, but we do not find robust evidence that increases in methamphetamine prices increased heroin, alcohol, or marijuana drug use. This study can inform policy discussions regarding other synthesized drugs, including illicit use of pharmaceuticals. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

STATUS GIZI DAN STATUS IODIUM PADA BALITA DENGAN SUSPECT DOWN SYNDROME

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Hastin Dyah K.

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Nutritional status is one of the factor that determines the human resources and quality of life. Toddlers are one of vulnerable groups for nutritional problems. One of the nutrition problem in Indonesia is Iodine deficiency disorder. Clinical manifestations are not only endemic goiter and cretins, but also abortion, stillbirth, and congenital abnormalities. Congenital abnormalities are commonly found in areas ofendemic iodine deficiency disorder such as Down Syndrome. Objectives: This study aims to determine the iodine nutrition status of children under jive with Down Syndrome Suspect in endemic areas ofiodine deficiency disorder. Method: This research is descriptive study with cross sectional design. The study was conducted in Magelang district, which is endemic iodine deficiency disorder. Total sample of30 under jive years old with Down Syndrome Suspect. Result: The result showed that the nutritional status of respondents based on the weight/age index was 50% had good nutritional status. According to height/age index as much as 70% are short and very short. Based on weight/height index was 73,3% with normal nutritional status. At least 33% of children with Down Syndrome Suspect accompanied hypothyroidism.  Keywords: Suspect Down Syndrome, Nutritional Status, Iodine Status

Suspecting Neurological Dysfunction From E Mail Messages ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A non medical person suspected and confirmed neurological dysfunction in an individual, based only on e mail messages sent by the individual. With email communication becoming rampant “peculiar” email messages may raise the suspicion of neurological dysfunction. Organic pathology explaining the abnormal email ...

Reframing the science and policy of nicotine, illegal drugs and alcohol - conclusions of the ALICE RAP Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Peter; Berridge, Virginia; Conrod, Patricia; Dudley, Robert; Hellman, Matilda; Lachenmeier, Dirk; Lingford-Hughes, Anne; Miller, David; Rehm, Jürgen; Room, Robin; Schmidt, Laura; Sullivan, Roger; Ysa, Tamyko; Gual, Antoni

2017-01-01

In 2013, illegal drug use was responsible for 1.8% of years of life lost in the European Union, alcohol was responsible for 8.2% and tobacco for 18.2%, imposing economic burdens in excess of 2.5% of GDP. No single European country has optimal governance structures for reducing the harm done by nicotine, illegal drugs and alcohol, and existing ones are poorly designed, fragmented, and sometimes cause harm. Reporting the main science and policy conclusions of a transdisciplinary five-year analysis of the place of addictions in Europe, researchers from 67 scientific institutions addressed these problems by reframing an understanding of addictions.  A new paradigm needs to account for evolutionary evidence which suggests that humans are biologically predisposed to seek out drugs, and that, today, individuals face availability of high drug doses, consequently increasing the risk of harm.  New definitions need to acknowledge that the defining element of addictive drugs is 'heavy use over time', a concept that could replace the diagnostic artefact captured by the clinical term 'substance use disorder', thus opening the door for new substances to be considered such as sugar. Tools of quantitative risk assessment that recognize drugs as toxins could be further deployed to assess regulatory approaches to reducing harm. Re-designed governance of drugs requires embedding policy within a comprehensive societal well-being frame that encompasses a range of domains of well-being, including quality of life, material living conditions and sustainability over time; such a frame adds arguments to the inappropriateness of policies that criminalize individuals for using drugs and that continue to categorize certain drugs as illegal. A health footprint, modelled on the carbon footprint, and using quantitative measures such as years of life lost due to death or disability, could serve as the accountability tool that apportions responsibility for who and what causes drug-related harm.

DNA-based identification reveals illegal trade of threatened shark species in a global elasmobranch conservation hotspot.

Science.gov (United States)

Feitosa, Leonardo Manir; Martins, Ana Paula Barbosa; Giarrizzo, Tommaso; Macedo, Wagner; Monteiro, Iann Leonardo; Gemaque, Romário; Nunes, Jorge Luiz Silva; Gomes, Fernanda; Schneider, Horácio; Sampaio, Iracilda; Souza, Rosália; Sales, João Bráullio; Rodrigues-Filho, Luís Fernando; Tchaicka, Lígia; Carvalho-Costa, Luís Fernando

2018-02-20

Here, we report trading of endangered shark species in a world hotspot for elasmobranch conservation in Brazil. Data on shark fisheries are scarce in Brazil, although the northern and northeastern regions have the highest indices of shark bycatch. Harvest is made primarily with processed carcasses lacking head and fins, which hampers reliable species identification and law enforcement on illegal catches. We used partial sequences of two mitochondrial genes (COI and/or NADH2) to identify 17 shark species from 427 samples being harvested and marketed on the northern coast of Brazil. Nine species (53%) are listed under some extinction threat category according to Brazilian law and international authorities (IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature; CITES - Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). The number increases to 13 (76%) if we also consider the Near Threatened category. Hammerhead sharks are under threat worldwide, and composed 18.7% of samples, with Sphyrna mokarran being the fourth most common species among samples. As illegal trade of threatened shark species is a worldwide conservation problem, molecular identification of processed meat or specimens lacking diagnostic body parts is a highly effective tool for species identification and law enforcement.

A Risk Prediction Model for In-hospital Mortality in Patients with Suspected Myocarditis.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Duo; Zhao, Ruo-Chi; Gao, Wen-Hui; Cui, Han-Bin

2017-04-05

Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium that may lead to cardiac death in some patients. However, little is known about the predictors of in-hospital mortality in patients with suspected myocarditis. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify the independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality in patients with suspected myocarditis by establishing a risk prediction model. A retrospective study was performed to analyze the clinical medical records of 403 consecutive patients with suspected myocarditis who were admitted to Ningbo First Hospital between January 2003 and December 2013. A total of 238 males (59%) and 165 females (41%) were enrolled in this study. We divided the above patients into two subgroups (survival and nonsurvival), according to their clinical in-hospital outcomes. To maximize the effectiveness of the prediction model, we first identified the potential risk factors for in-hospital mortality among patients with suspected myocarditis, based on data pertaining to previously established risk factors and basic patient characteristics. We subsequently established a regression model for predicting in-hospital mortality using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Finally, we identified the independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality using our risk prediction model. The following prediction model for in-hospital mortality in patients with suspected myocarditis, including creatinine clearance rate (Ccr), age, ventricular tachycardia (VT), New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, gender and cardiac troponin T (cTnT), was established in the study: P = ea/(1 + ea) (where e is the exponential function, P is the probability of in-hospital death, and a = -7.34 + 2.99 × [Ccr model demonstrated that a Ccr prediction model for in-hospital mortality in patients with suspected myocarditis. In addition, sufficient life support during the early stage of the disease might improve the prognoses of patients with

[Characteristics of communication systems of suspected occupational disease in the Autonomous Communities, Spain].

Science.gov (United States)

García Gómez, Montserrat; Urbaneja Arrúe, Félix; García López, Vega; Estaban Buedo, Valentín; Rodríguez Suárez, Valentín; Miralles Martínez-Portillo, Lourdes; González García, Isabel; Egea Garcia, Josefa; Corraliza Infanzon, Emma; Ramírez Salvador, Laura; Briz Blázquez, Santiago; Armengol Rosell, Ricard; Cisnal Gredilla, José María; Correa Rodríguez, Juan Francisco; Coto Fernández, Juan Carlos; Díaz Peral, Mª Rosario; Elvira Espinosa, Mercedes; Fernández Fernández, Iñigo; García-Ramos Alonso, Eduardo; Martínez Arguisuelas, Nieves; Rivas Pérez, Ana Isabel

2017-03-17

There are several initiatives to develop systems for the notification of suspected occupational disease (OD) in different autonomous communities. The objective was to describe the status of development and characteristics of these systems implemented by the health authorities. A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on the existence of systems for the information and surveillance of suspected OD, their legal framework, responsible institution and availability of information. A specific meeting was held and a survey was designed and sent to all autonomous communities and autonomous cities (AACC). Information was collected on the existence of a regulatory standard, assigned human resources, notifiers, coverage and number of suspected OD received, processed and recognized. 18 of 19 AACC responded. 10 have developed a suspected OD notification system, 3 of them supported by specific autonomic law. The notifiers were physicians of the public health services, physicians of the occupational health services and, in 2 cases, medical inspectors. 7 AACC had specific software to support the system. The OD recognition rate of suspected cases was 53% in the Basque Country; 41% in Castilla-La Mancha; 36% in Murcia; 32.6% in the Valencian Community and 31% in La Rioja. The study has revealed an heterogeneous development of suspected OD reporting systems in Spain. Although the trend is positive, only 55% of the AACC have some type of development and 39% have specific software supporting it. Therefore unequal OD recognition rates have been obtained depending on the territory.

Assessment of Selected Heavy Metals and Enzymes in Soil Within the Range of Impact of Illegal Dumping Sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bartkowiak, A.; Lemanowicz, J.; Siwik-Ziomek, A.

2016-01-01

Defining the physicochemical and biological parameters in soil under illegally dumping sites provides information on the real threat and the direction of changes in the soil environment. The paper demonstrates the result of changes in the properties in soil as a result of the operation of illegal dumping sites. Soil was sampled from the research points located on the outskirts of the city of Bydgoszcz (Poland) from the site not affected by illegal dumping sites (control C), within the dumping sites, having removed the waste layer (W), and 10 m away from the dumping sites (W 10). In the soil the content of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and sulphur, total content of copper, zinc, lead and nickel as well as the activity of enzymes were assayed. The content of Pb, Zn, Cu and Ni in the soil samples qualifies the soils as representing the soil category with natural content. The greatest activity of all the enzymes analysed was identified in the soil sampled from the control point affected by waste, whereas the highest content of macroelements was reported in the soil from the dumping sites (W 10). A high variation in the enzymes under study in soils confirms a high value of the coefficient of variation (CV >36%). The analysis of correlation confirmed the relationship between the content of organic carbon compounds and the content of zinc, lead, nickel. The soils show a slight value of the coefficient of contamination for heavy metals (CF<1). The contamination degree (Cdeg) ranged from 1.993 to 5.116, which points to a low level of soil contamination with Zn, Cu, Pb and Ni.

Rapid immune colloidal gold strip for cetacean meat restraining illegal trade and consumption: implications for conservation and public health.

Science.gov (United States)

Lo, Chieh; Chin, Li-Te; Chu, Chi-Shih; Wang, Yu-Ting; Chan, Kun-Wei; Yang, Wei-Cheng

2013-01-01

The consumption of cetacean meat is geographically common and often of undetermined sustainability. Besides, it can expose humans to contaminants and zoonotic pathogens. The illegality of possessing cetacean meat was likely under-reported in some countries due to lack of attention paid by the officials although DNA analysis of market products helped to show such practices. We developed two monoclonal antibodies against synthetic peptides of myoglobin (Mb) for constructing a rapid immune colloidal gold strip. Only cetacean Mb is capable of binding to both antibodies and presents positive signal while the Mb from other animals can bind only 1 of the antibodies and presents negative result. The strip for cetacean meat would be an applicable and cost-effective test for field inspectors and even the general public. It contributes to increase the reporting capacity and coverage of illegal cetacean meat possession, which has implications for global cetacean conservation and public health.

The Lawyer in the Dutch Interrogation Room: Influence on Police and Suspect

NARCIS (Netherlands)

W-J. Verhoeven (Willem-Jan); L. Stevens (Lonneke)

2012-01-01

textabstractIn many European countries, providing a suspect in custody with legal aid before the first police interrogation is a heavily debated issue. In this paper, we report on an exploratory study on the use of coercion by the police and the use of the right to silence by suspects in 70 Dutch

Blood alcohol analysis alone versus comprehensive toxicological analysis - Systematic investigation of missed co-ingested other drugs in suspected alcohol-impaired drivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Steuer, Andrea E; Eisenbeiss, Lisa; Kraemer, Thomas

2016-10-01

Driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs (DUID) is a safety issue of increasing public concern. When a police officer has reasonable grounds to classify a driver as impaired, he may arrange for a blood sample to be taken. In many countries, alcohol analysis only is ordered if impairment is suspected to be exclusively due to alcohol while comprehensive toxicological screening will be performed if additional suspicion for other illegal drugs of abuse (DoA) or medicinal drugs is on hand. The aim of the present study was firstly to evaluate whether signs of impairment can be differentiated to be caused by alcohol alone or a combination of alcohol and other driving-impairing drugs and secondly to which extent additional drugs are missed in suspected alcohol-impaired drivers. A total of 293 DUID cases (negative n=41; alcohol positive only, n=131; alcohol+active drug positive, n=121) analyzed in 2015 in the Canton of Zurich were evaluated for their documented impairment symptoms by translating these into a severity score and comparing them applying principle component analysis (PCA). Additional 500 cases suspected for alcohol-impaired driving only were reanalyzed using comprehensive LC-MS/MS screening methods covering about 1500 compounds. Drugs detected were classified for severity of driving impairment using the classification system established in the DRUID study of the European Commission. As partly expected from the pharmacological and toxicological point of view, PCA analysis revealed no differences between signs of impairment caused by alcohol alone and those caused by alcohol plus at least one active drug. Breaking it down to different blood alcohol concentration ranges, only between 0.3 and 0.5g/kg trends could be observed in terms of more severe impairment for combined alcohol and drug intake. In the 500 blood samples retrospectively analyzed in this study, a total of 330 additional drugs could be detected; in some cases up to 9 co-ingested ones. In

Biodiversity data mining from Argus-eyed citizens: the first illegal introduction record of Lepomis macrochirus macrochirus Rafinesque, 1819 in Japan based on Twitter information.

Science.gov (United States)

Miyazaki, Yusuke; Teramura, Akinori; Senou, Hiroshi

2016-01-01

An apparent illegal introduction of Lepomis macrochirus macrochirus from Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, is reported based on a juvenile specimen and a photograph of two adults collected on 14 June 2015 and deposited in the Kangawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History. The specimens and photographs were initially reported on the internet-based social networking site, Twitter. Two specimens of Carassius auratus, including an aquarium form, were also reported at the same locality and date, suggesting that the illegal introductions originated from an aquarium release. Our report demonstrates an example of web data mining in the discipline of Citizen Science.

Inhalation Exposure Method for Illegal Drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Inomata, Akiko; Ogata, Akio; Tada, Yukie; Nagasawa, Akemichi; Yuzawa, Katsuhiro; Ando, Hiroshi; Kubo, Yoshikazu; Takahashi, Hiroshi; Kaihoko, Fujifumi; Tanaka, Kazuyoshi; Nakajima, Jun'ichi; Suzuki, Atsuko; Uemura, Nozomi; Moriyasu, Takako; Watanabe, Daisuke; Ishihara, Kei; Usami, Takashi; Kamei, Satoru; Kohno, Yasuaki

2017-01-01

We developed a new inhalation exposure method to evaluate effects of synthetic cannabimimetics that are being distributed as new, unregulated drugs in the Tokyo area. We selected the commercial product "SOUTOU" containing AB-CHMINACA and 5F-AMB as the test drug and dried marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) leaves as the negative control. A half cigarette packed with dried marshmallow leaves or SOUTOU was ignited, then mainstream smoke from each was delivered to five mice in an exposure box. After the cigarettes were fully consumed, neurobehavioral observations and a catalepsy test were performed at 15, 30 and 60 min after exposure. The effluent air from the exposure box was poured into impingers containing acetonitrile (first impinger) and dimethyl sulfoxide (second impinger). The resulting solutions were analyzed to assess decomposition of the synthetic cannabimimetics. Mice exposed to SOUTOU smoke showed many excitement behaviors and some suppressive behaviors at 15, 30 and 60 min. These clearly included cannabimimetic specific pharmacological actions. Negative control mice also showed some suppressive behaviors at 15 min but these were attenuated at later times, nearly disappearing at 60 min. In addition, the behavioral effects observed in controls were less pronounced than those in SOUTOU exposed mice. The inhalation exposure method developed in our study would be effective for determining cannabinoid specific pharmacological effects of illegal drugs, as well as for assessing the presence of active compound(s) by comparing the test substance with a negative control.

Isolation and structure elucidation of an interaction product of aminotadalafil found in an illegal health food product.

Science.gov (United States)

Häberli, Adrian; Girard, Philippe; Low, Min-Yong; Ge, Xiaowei

2010-09-21

An interaction product of aminotadalafil was isolated from an illegal health food product. The structure of the interaction product was elucidated by means of IR, NMR, and mass spectroscopy. The hitherto unknown compound was characterized as condensation product of aminotadalafil and hydroxymethylfuraldehyde and is probably the result of a drug-excipient incompatibility. Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Second-Generation Thermal Neutron Activation Sensor for Confirmatory Land-Mine Detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edward Clifford; Harry Ing; John McFee; H. Robert Andrews; Tom Cousins

2000-01-01

This paper describes the development of the Improved Land-Mine Detector System (ILDS), a vehicle-mounted nonmetallic land-mine detector. The ILDS consists of a custom teleoperated vehicle carrying an infrared imager, an electromagnetic induction detector, and a ground probing radar-which scan the ground in front of the vehicle. Custom navigation and data fusion software combine information from scanning sensors and navigation systems to detect and automatically track suspect targets until the confirmation detector at the rear of the system is positioned to within 30 cm of the target location. The confirmation detector, using thermal neutron activation (TNA) to detect bulk nitrogen in explosives, then dwells over the target for 10 to 120 s. In U.S. government tests (summer 1998), the ILDS advanced development model (ADM) placed first or second out of five competitors on every test. The construction of the second-generation TNA detector and preliminary testing should be complete by March 2000. Testing on real mines is expected to start in summer 2000

Identification of novel micropollutants in wastewater by a combination of suspect and nontarget screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hug, Christine; Ulrich, Nadin; Schulze, Tobias; Brack, Werner; Krauss, Martin

2014-01-01

To detect site-specific, suspected and formerly unknown contaminants in a wastewater treatment plant effluent, we established a screening procedure based on liquid chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry (LC–HRMS) with stepwise identification schemes. Based on automated substructure searches a list of 2160 suspected site-specific and documented water contaminants was reduced to those amenable to LC–HRMS. After searching chromatograms for exact masses of suspects, presumably false positive detections were stepwise excluded by retention time prediction, the evaluation of isotope patterns, ionization behavior, and HRMS/MS spectra. In nontarget analysis, peaks for identification were selected based on distinctive isotope patterns and intensity. The stepwise identification of nontarget compounds was automated by a plausibility check of molecular formulas using the Seven Golden Rules, an exclusion of compounds with presumably low commercial importance and an automated HRMS/MS evaluation. Six suspected and five nontarget chemicals were identified, of which two have not been previously reported as environmental pollutants. -- Highlights: • A LC–HRMS-based suspect and nontarget screening was applied to wastewater. • Manual data processing to identify candidate structures was accelerated by automated software-based procedure. • Identification was supported by sophisticated analytical methods such as deuterium exchange. • Eleven site-specific and formerly unknown compounds were identified. • We provide a framework to extend analytical procedures from target to suspect and nontarget compounds. -- A screening procedure based on liquid chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry (LC–HRMS) with a systematic data evaluation was established, which allowed detecting suspected and formerly unknown contaminants in wastewater

Illegal or legitimate use? Precursor compounds to amphetamine and methamphetamine.

Science.gov (United States)

Musshoff, F

2000-02-01

The interpretation of methamphetamine and amphetamine positive test results in biological samples is a challenge to clinical and forensic toxicology for several reasons. The effects of pH and dilution of urine samples and the knowledge about legitimate and illicit sources have to be taken into account. Besides a potentially legal prescription of amphetamines, many substances metabolize to methamphetamine or amphetamine in the body: amphetaminil, benzphetamine, clobenzorex, deprenyl, dimethylamphetamine, ethylamphetamine, famprofazone, fencamine, fenethylline, fenproporex, furfenorex, mefenorex, mesocarb, and prenylamine. Especially the knowledge of potential origins of methamphetamine and amphetamine turns out to be very important to prevent a misinterpretation of the surrounding circumstances and to prove illegal drug abuse. In this review, potential precursor compounds are described, including their medical use and major clinical effects and their metabolic profiles, as well as some clues which help to identify the sources.

Frequency of zoonotic bacteria among illegally traded wild birds in Rio de Janeiro

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Alexandre Rey Matias

Full Text Available Abstract The illegal wildlife trade may increase the risk of infectious disease transmission, and it may not only cause disease outbreaks in humans but also threaten livestock, native wild populations, and ecosystems' health. Bird species may act as carriers in the transmission of enteric pathogens. However, epidemiological studies on zoonotic bacteria in wild birds are rare in Brazil. From March 2011 to March 2012, we investigated the frequency of Enterobacteriaceae in cloacal swab samples from 109 birds of the passerine and Psittacidae families. These birds were recovered from illegal trade in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and sent to a rehabilitation center. Gram-negative bacteria were isolated from 86 wild birds (78.9%. A mean (±SD of 1.68 (±1.30 different bacterial species were isolated per bird, with a maximum of five bacterial species from three bird species. The most frequently isolated bacteria were Escherichia coli, followed by Enterobacter spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae and other enteric bacteria. Salmonella ser. Typhimurium was isolated from a Temminck's seedeater (Sporophila falcirostris, and two Salmonella ser. Panama were isolated from two specimens of chestnut-capped blackbird (Chrysomus ruficapillus. Of the 70 selected bacterial isolates, 60 exhibited antibiotic resistance. The resistance patterns varied from one to nine of the antibiotics tested. Resistance to ceftiofur was the most prevalent, followed by ampicillin and ceftriaxone. The dissemination potential of resistant strains in situations typically seen in the management of captive birds may become a problem for the conservation of natural bird populations and for public health.

Competition to commit crime: An economic experiment on illegal logging using behavioral game theory

OpenAIRE

Tananya Songchoo; Komsan Suriya

2012-01-01

This study constructs an economic experiment using behavioral game theory to figure out policies that discourage illegal logging in Thailand. A player is assigned to be either a police or an outlaw in the game. The game randomly matches two players in different roles. The lawbreaker can offer a bribe to police under uncertainties whether the police may refuse it or reject the offer because of too small amount of the bribe. Even when bribery is accepted, it is still uncertain for an lawbreaker...

Forests, timber and rural livelihoods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Christian Pilegaard; Pouliot, Mariève; Marfo, Emmanuel

2015-01-01

Based on detailed income data of 478 rural households, the nexus between forest, trees and rural livelihoods in Ghana is investigated and applied to assess implications of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) between the EU and Ghana on illegal logging. It is found that, after crops...... and benefits to trees on farm and fallow land to those occupying and cultivating the land. Such efforts would provide incentive for timber production and thus enhance rural livelihoods, while combatting illegal logging, deforestation and forest degradation....

Spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging in suspected multiple sclerosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lycklama a Nijeholt, G.J.; Bergers, E.; Castelijns, J.A.; Barkhof, F.; Uitdehaag, B.M.J.; Polman, C.H.

2000-01-01

We examined the value of spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnostic work-up of multiple sclerosis (MS). Forty patients suspected of having MS were examined within 24 months after the start of symptoms. Disability was assessed, and symptoms were categorized as either brain or spinal cord. Work-up further included cerebrospinal fluid analysis and standard proton-density, T2-, and T1-weighted gadolinium-enhanced brain and spinal cord MRI. Patients were categorized as either clinically definite MS (n = 13), laboratory-supported definite MS (n = 14), or clinically probable MS (n = 4); four patients had clinically probable MS, and in nine MS was suspected. Spinal cord abnormalities were found in 35 of 40 patients (87.5 %), consisting of focal lesions in 31, only diffuse abnormalities in two, and both in two. Asymptomatic spinal cord lesions occurred in six patients. All patients with diffuse spinal cord abnormality had clear spinal cord symptoms and a primary progressive disease course. In clinically definite MS, the inclusion of spinal imaging increased the sensitivity of MRI to 100 %. Seven patients without a definite diagnosis had clinically isolated syndromes involving the spinal cord. Brain MRI was inconclusive, while all had focal spinal cord lesions which explained symptoms and ruled out other causes. Two other patients had atypical brain abnormalities suggesting ischemic/vascular disease. No spinal cord abnormalities were found, and during follow-up MS was ruled out. Spinal cord abnormalities are common in suspected MS, and may occur asymptomatic. Although diagnostic classification is seldom changed, spinal cord imaging increases diagnostic sensitivity of MRI in patients with suspected MS. In addition, patients with primary progressive MS may possibly be earlier diagnosed. Finally, differentiation with atypical lesions may be improved. (orig.)

MRI for clinically suspected pediatric appendicitis: an implemented program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moore, Michael M.; Gustas, Cristy N.; Choudhary, Arabinda K.; Methratta, Sosamma T.; Hulse, Michael A.; Eggli, Kathleen D.; Boal, Danielle K.B. [Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Mail Code H066, 500 University Drive, P.O. Box 850, Hershey, PA (United States); Geeting, Glenn [Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Hershey, PA (United States)

2012-09-15

Emergent MRI is now a viable alternative to CT for evaluating appendicitis while avoiding the detrimental effects of ionizing radiation. However, primary employment of MRI in the setting of clinically suspected pediatric appendicitis has remained significantly underutilized. To describe our institution's development and the results of a fully implemented clinical program using MRI as the primary imaging evaluation for children with suspected appendicitis. A four-sequence MRI protocol consisting of coronal and axial single-shot turbo spin-echo (SS-TSE) T2, coronal spectral adiabatic inversion recovery (SPAIR), and axial SS-TSE T2 with fat saturation was performed on 208 children, ages 3 to 17 years, with clinically suspected appendicitis. No intravenous or oral contrast material was administered. No sedation was administered. Data collection includes two separate areas: time parameter analysis and MRI diagnostic results. Diagnostic accuracy of MRI for pediatric appendicitis indicated a sensitivity of 97.6% (CI: 87.1-99.9%), specificity 97.0% (CI: 93.2-99.0%), positive predictive value 88.9% (CI: 76.0-96.3%), and negative predictive value 99.4% (CI: 96.6-99.9%). Time parameter analysis indicated clinical feasibility, with time requested to first sequence obtained mean of 78.7 +/- 52.5 min, median 65 min; first-to-last sequence time stamp mean 14.2 +/- 8.8 min, median 12 min; last sequence to report mean 57.4 +/- 35.2 min, median 46 min. Mean age was 11.2 +/- 3.6 years old. Girls represented 57% of patients. MRI is an effective and efficient method of imaging children with clinically suspected appendicitis. Using an expedited four-sequence protocol, sensitivity and specificity are comparable to CT while avoiding the detrimental effects of ionizing radiation. (orig.)

Optimisation of the digital radiographic imaging of suspected non-accidental injury

Science.gov (United States)

Offiah, Amaka

Aim: To optimise the digital (radiographic) imaging of children presenting with suspected non-accidental injury (NAI). Objectives: (i) To evaluate existing radiographic quality criteria, and to develop a more suitable system if these are found to be inapplicable to skeletal surveys obtained in suspected NAI. (ii) To document differences in image quality between conventional film-screen and the recently installed Fuji5000R computed radiography (CR) system at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, (iii) To document the extent of variability in the standard of skeletal surveys obtained in the UK for suspected NAI. (iv) To determine those radiographic parameters which yield the highest diagnostic accuracy, while still maintaining acceptable radiation dose to the child, (v) To determine how varying degrees of edge-enhancement affect diagnostic accuracy. (vi) To establish the accuracy of soft compared to hard copy interpretation of images in suspected NAI. Materials and Methods: (i) and (ii) Retrospective analysis of 286 paediatric lateral spine radiographs by two observers based on the Commission of European Communities (CEC) quality criteria, (iii) Review of the skeletal surveys of 50 consecutive infants referred from hospitals throughout the United Kingdom (UK) with suspected NAI. (iv) Phantom studies. Leeds TO. 10 and TO. 16 test objects were used to compare the relationship between film density, exposure parameters and visualisation of object details, (iv) Clinical study. Anteroposterior and lateral post mortem skull radiographs of six consecutive infants were obtained at various exposures. Six observers independently scored the images based on visualisation of five criteria, (v) and (vi) A study of diagnostic accuracy in which six observers independently interpreted 50 radiographs from printed copies (with varying degrees of edge-enhancement) and from a monitor. Results: The CEC criteria are useful for optimisation of imaging parameters and allow the detection

Herbal hepatotoxicity: suspected cases assessed for alternative causes.

Science.gov (United States)

Teschke, Rolf; Schulze, Johannes; Schwarzenboeck, Alexander; Eickhoff, Axel; Frenzel, Christian

2013-09-01

Alternative explanations are common in suspected drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and account for up to 47.1% of analyzed cases. This raised the question of whether a similar frequency may prevail in cases of assumed herb-induced liver injury (HILI). We searched the Medline database for the following terms: herbs, herbal drugs, herbal dietary supplements, hepatotoxic herbs, herbal hepatotoxicity, and herb-induced liver injury. Additional terms specifically addressed single herbs and herbal products: black cohosh, Greater Celandine, green tea, Herbalife products, Hydroxycut, kava, and Pelargonium sidoides. We retrieved 23 published case series and regulatory assessments related to hepatotoxicity by herbs and herbal dietary supplements with alternative causes. The 23 publications comprised 573 cases of initially suspected HILI; alternative causes were evident in 278/573 cases (48.5%). Among them were hepatitis by various viruses (9.7%), autoimmune diseases (10.4%), nonalcoholic and alcoholic liver diseases (5.4%), liver injury by comedication (DILI and other HILI) (43.9%), and liver involvement in infectious diseases (4.7%). Biliary and pancreatic diseases were frequent alternative diagnoses (11.5%), raising therapeutic problems if specific treatment is withheld; pre-existing liver diseases including cirrhosis (9.7%) were additional confounding variables. Other diagnoses were rare, but possibly relevant for the individual patient. In 573 cases of initially assumed HILI, 48.5% showed alternative causes unrelated to the initially incriminated herb, herbal drug, or herbal dietary supplement, calling for thorough clinical evaluations and appropriate causality assessments in future cases of suspected HILI.

When You Get What You Haven't Paid for: Molecular Identification of "Douradinha" Fish Fillets Can Help End the Illegal Use of River Dolphins as Bait in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Cunha, Haydée A; da Silva, Vera M F; Santos, Teresa E C; Moreira, Stella M; do Carmo, Nivia A S; Solé-Cava, Antonio M

2015-01-01

The fishery for Calophysus macropterus, an Amazonian necrophagous catfish, is highly detrimental to river dolphins and caimans, which are deliberately killed for use as bait. In the Brazilian Amazon, this fishery has increased over the last decade, in spite of the rejection of scavenger fishes by Brazilian consumers. It was suspected that C. macropterus fillets were being sold in Brazilian markets, disguised as a fictitious fish (the "douradinha"). We collected 62 fillets from "douradinha" and other suspiciously named fish from 4 fish-processing plants sold at 6 markets in Manaus, in the Brazilian Amazon, and sequenced the cytochrome b gene to identify fillets to species. Sixty percent of fillets labeled "douradinha" or with other deceptive names were actually C. macropterus. Six other fish species of low commercial value were also found. The presence of dolphin tissue in the stomach contents of C. macropterus was confirmed by mtDNA control region sequencing. Our results formed the scientific basis for a moratorium on the fishing and fraudulent selling of C. macropterus, issued by the Brazilian Ministries of the Environment and Fisheries. Exposure of this fraud via the mass media can help end the illegal use of dolphins as bait in Brazil. © The American Genetic Association 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Using the FORE-SCE model to project land-cover change in the southeastern United States

Science.gov (United States)

Sohl, Terry; Sayler, Kristi L.

2008-01-01

A wide variety of ecological applications require spatially explicit current and projected land-use and land-cover data. The southeastern United States has experienced massive land-use change since European settlement and continues to experience extremely high rates of forest cutting, significant urban development, and changes in agricultural land use. Forest-cover patterns and structure are projected to change dramatically in the southeastern United States in the next 50 years due to population growth and demand for wood products [Wear, D.N., Greis, J.G. (Eds.), 2002. Southern Forest Resource Assessment. General Technical Report SRS-53. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Asheville, NC, 635 pp]. Along with our climate partners, we are examining the potential effects of southeastern U.S. land-cover change on regional climate. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Land Cover Trends project is analyzing contemporary (1973-2000) land-cover change in the conterminous United States, providing ecoregion-by-ecoregion estimates of the rates of change, descriptive transition matrices, and changes in landscape metrics. The FORecasting SCEnarios of future land-cover (FORE-SCE) model used Land Cover Trends data and theoretical, statistical, and deterministic modeling techniques to project future land-cover change through 2050 for the southeastern United States. Prescriptions for future proportions of land cover for this application were provided by ecoregion-based extrapolations of historical change. Logistic regression was used to develop relationships between suspected drivers of land-cover change and land cover, resulting in the development of probability-of-occurrence surfaces for each unique land-cover type. Forest stand age was initially established with Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data and tracked through model iterations. The spatial allocation procedure placed patches of new land cover on the landscape until the scenario

9 CFR 381.78 - Condemnation of carcasses and parts: separation of poultry suspected of containing biological...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

...: separation of poultry suspected of containing biological residues. 381.78 Section 381.78 Animals and Animal... carcasses and parts: separation of poultry suspected of containing biological residues. (a) At the time of... to be not adulterated. (b) When a lot of poultry suspected of containing biological residues is...

Incidence of clinically suspected venous thromboembolism in British Indian patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Siddiqui, B M; Patel, M S; Rudge, S; Best, A; Mangwani, J

2018-05-01

Introduction Venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains a major public health issue around the world. Ethnicity is known to alter the incidence of VTE. To our knowledge, there are no reports in the literature investigating the incidence of VTE in British Indians. The aim of this study was to investigate the rates of symptomatic VTE in British Indian patients in the UK. Methods Patients referred to our institution between January 2011 and August 2013 with clinically suspected VTE were eligible for inclusion in the study. Those not of British Indian or Caucasian ethnicity were excluded. A retrospective review of these two cohorts was conducted. Results Overall, 15,529 cases were referred to our institution for suspected VTE. This included 1,498 individuals of British Indian ethnicity. Of these, 182 (12%) had confirmed VTE episodes. A further 13,159 of the patients with suspected VTE were coded as Caucasian, including 2,412 (16%) who had confirmed VTE events. VTE rates were a third lower in British Indians with clinically suspected VTE than in the equivalent Caucasian group. The British Indian cohort presented with VTE at a much earlier age than Caucasians (mean 57.0 vs 68.0 years). Conclusions This study suggests that British Indian patients have a lower incidence of VTE and are more likely to present at an earlier age than Caucasians. There was no significant difference in VTE type (deep vein thrombosis vs pulmonary embolism) among the ethnic groups. Clinicians should be aware of variations within ethnicities but should continue to adhere to existing VTE prevention guidance.

Prostitution and (illegal migration as possible hidden forms of trafficking in human beings: The analyses of the practice of the Magistrate Court in Belgrade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anđelković Marija

2003-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper the author analyses all the cases from the 2002 practice of Magistrate Court in Belgrade, which relate to prostitution and illegal migration. The main aim of this paper is to show who are the women and men who are accused and punished for prostitution and illegal migration, as well as to argue that the part of them are in fact victims of trafficking in human beings. In conclusion, the author suggests the necessity for training of magistrate judges in order to be able to recognize victims of trafficking and, consequently, to be able to treat them as victims rather than as offenders.

Vascular factors in suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus

Science.gov (United States)

Agerskov, Simon; Rabiei, Katrin; Marlow, Thomas; Jensen, Christer; Guo, Xinxin; Kern, Silke; Wikkelsø, Carsten; Skoog, Ingmar

2016-01-01

Objective: We examined clinical and imaging findings of suspected idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) in relation to vascular risk factors and white matter lesions (WMLs), using a nested case-control design in a representative, population-based sample. Methods: From a population-based sample, 1,235 persons aged 70 years or older were examined with CT of the brain between 1986 and 2000. We identified 55 persons with hydrocephalic ventricular enlargement, i.e., radiologic findings consistent with iNPH. Among these, 26 had clinical signs that fulfilled international guideline criteria for probable iNPH. These cases were labeled suspected iNPH. Each case was matched to 5 controls from the same sample, based on age, sex, and study cohort. Data on risk factors were obtained from clinical examinations and the Swedish Hospital Discharge Register. History of hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), smoking, overweight, history of coronary artery disease, stroke/TIA, and WMLs on CT were examined. Risk factors associated with iNPH with a p value <0.1 in χ2 tests were included in conditional logistic regression models. Results: In the regression analyses, suspected iNPH was related to moderate to severe WMLs (odds ratio [OR] 5.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5–17.6), while hydrocephalic ventricular enlargement was related to hypertension (OR 2.7; 95% CI: 1.1–6.8), moderate to severe WMLs (OR 6.5; 95% CI: 2.1–20.3), and DM (OR 4.3; 95% CI: 1.1–16.3). Conclusions: Hypertension, WMLs, and DM were related to clinical and imaging features of iNPH, suggesting that vascular mechanisms are involved in the pathophysiology. These findings might have implications for understanding disease mechanisms in iNPH and possibly prevention. PMID:26773072

Quantifying explainable discrimination and removing illegal discrimination in automated decision making

KAUST Repository

Kamiran, Faisal

2012-11-18

Recently, the following discrimination-aware classification problem was introduced. Historical data used for supervised learning may contain discrimination, for instance, with respect to gender. The question addressed by discrimination-aware techniques is, given sensitive attribute, how to train discrimination-free classifiers on such historical data that are discriminative, with respect to the given sensitive attribute. Existing techniques that deal with this problem aim at removing all discrimination and do not take into account that part of the discrimination may be explainable by other attributes. For example, in a job application, the education level of a job candidate could be such an explainable attribute. If the data contain many highly educated male candidates and only few highly educated women, a difference in acceptance rates between woman and man does not necessarily reflect gender discrimination, as it could be explained by the different levels of education. Even though selecting on education level would result in more males being accepted, a difference with respect to such a criterion would not be considered to be undesirable, nor illegal. Current state-of-the-art techniques, however, do not take such gender-neutral explanations into account and tend to overreact and actually start reverse discriminating, as we will show in this paper. Therefore, we introduce and analyze the refined notion of conditional non-discrimination in classifier design. We show that some of the differences in decisions across the sensitive groups can be explainable and are hence tolerable. Therefore, we develop methodology for quantifying the explainable discrimination and algorithmic techniques for removing the illegal discrimination when one or more attributes are considered as explanatory. Experimental evaluation on synthetic and real-world classification datasets demonstrates that the new techniques are superior to the old ones in this new context, as they succeed in

CT for suspected appendicitis in children: an analysis of diagnostic errors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, George A.; Callahan, Michael J.; Rodriguez, Diana; Smink, Douglas S.

2006-01-01

Mistakes have been made by the use of CT in diagnosing children with suspected appendicitis. Although others have reported the frequency of diagnostic errors, we were unable to find any studies that addressed the specific situations in which diagnostic errors occurred in children with suspected appendicitis. To investigate the frequency and type of diagnostic errors resulting from CT of children with suspected appendicitis when compared to surgical and pathological diagnosis. We reviewed imaging, clinical and pathological data on 1,207 consecutive pediatric patients who underwent CT examination for suspected appendicitis. Imaging findings were categorized as false-positive, false-negative, or indeterminate. Errors were classified as interpretative, technical or unavoidable. Concordance between surgical and pathological findings was also evaluated. The imaging findings of 34 patients (2.8%) were discrepant with the pathological examination or clinical follow-up. The errors in 23 cases were classified as interpretive (68%) and 11 as unavoidable (32%), and no errors were classified as technical. There were 23 false-positive errors (68%), 6 false-negative errors (18%), and 5 indeterminate imaging studies (15%). Isolated CT findings of an enlarged (greater than 6 mm) appendix, fat stranding, thickened bowel or non-visualization of the distal appendix were the most common false-positive CT findings. Of these 34 patients, 22 underwent appendectomy, with 10 (45%) having discordant surgical and pathological findings. (orig.)

78 FR 56737 - Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-13

..., or known, suspected, or alleged to be involved with illicit drug trafficking, money laundering of... of illegal drugs and money laundering in the United States or such other roles in support of counter-drug and money laundering law enforcement, counter-firearms trafficking, counter-alien smuggling, and...

Welfare impacts of the illegal wildlife trade in a cohort of confiscated greater slow lorises, Nycticebus coucang.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuller, Grace; Eggen, Wilhelmina Frederica; Wirdateti, Wirdateti; Nekaris, K A I

2018-01-01

Illegal harvesting and trade are major forces behind population declines of wild slow lorises (genus Nycticebus). The impacts of the wildlife trade on individual slow lorises have not been as well described. In this article, we describe quantitatively the consequences of the wildlife trade for 77 greater slow lorises, N. coucang, who were confiscated en masse and brought to Cikananga Wildlife Center in Indonesia. Medical records indicated that in total, 28.6% of the slow lorises died within the first 6 months, mostly due to traumatic injury, and all the infants died. The greatest sources of morbidity were external wounds (33.1% of 166 total medical events) and dental problems (19.3%). Of the surviving individuals, 25.4% displayed abnormal behavior. Behavioral observations indicated that healthy adults (n = 3) spent 48.2% of their active period performing stereotypies. These data illustrate the physical and behavioral impacts of the illegal wildlife trade on the welfare of slow lorises. We suggest that sharing these individual stories may help generate empathy and educate the public about the impacts of the exotic companion-animal (pet) trade on nonhuman animal welfare.

Coyotes, Concessions and Construction Companies: Illegal Water Markets and Legally Constructed Water Scarcity in Central Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadine Reis

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Many regions of (semiarid Mexico, such as the Valley of Toluca, face challenges due to rapid growth and the simultaneous overexploitation of groundwater. The water reform of the 1990s introduced individual water rights concessions granted through the National Water Commission (Comisión Nacional del Agua, or CONAGUA. Since then, acquiring new water rights in officially 'water-scarce' aquifers is only possible through official rights transmissions from users ceding their rights. With the law prohibiting the sale of water rights, a profitable illegal market for these rights has emerged. The key actor in the water rights allocation network is the coyote, functioning as a broker between a people wanting to cede water rights and those needing them, and b the formal and informal spheres of water rights allocation. Actors benefitting from water rights trading include the coyote and his 'working brigades', water users selling surplus rights, and (senior and lower-level staff in the water bureaucracy. The paper concludes that legally constructed water scarcity is key to the reproduction of illegal water rights trading. This has important implications regarding the current push for expanding regularisation of groundwater extraction in Mexico. Currently, regularisation does not counter overexploitation, while possibly leading to a de facto privatisation of groundwater.

[Nursing school students' perception of legal and illegal drugs consumption].

Science.gov (United States)

Bermúdez-Herrera, Azucena; Silva, Marta Angélica Iossi; Priotto, Elis Maria Teixeira; Sampaio, Julliane Messias Cordeiro

2011-06-01

Drugs consumption is as ancient as humanity. It has always existed and is associated with culture, in its historical and social context. The aim of this research is to know and analyze the perception of students from the Nursing School at the University of Guayaquil about legal and illegal drugs consumption. The methodological approach was qualitative, descriptive and exploratory. The sample consisted of eleven first-year students from the Nursing School. Individual and semi structured interviews were used for data collection. Thematic content analysis was adopted, in which five themes were identified: The economic situation, domestic violence, migration of close relatives, influence of the media that surround us, and ignorance about the topic. With a view to enhancing awareness on this hard reality that hurts and prejudices humanity, knowing students' perceptions contributes to identify their needs and create possibilities for health care interventions, particularly health promotion.

Optimizing imaging in suspected appendicitis (OPTIMAP-study: A multicenter diagnostic accuracy study of MRI in patients with suspected acute appendicitis. Study Protocol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bossuyt Patrick MM

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In patients with clinically suspected appendicitis, imaging is needed to substantiate the clinical diagnosis. Imaging accuracy of ultrasonography (US is suboptimal, while the most accurate technique (CT is associated with cancer related deaths through exposure to ionizing radiation. MRI is a potential replacement, without associated ionizing radiation and no need for contrast medium administration. If MRI is proven to be sufficiently accurate, it could be introduced in the diagnostic pathway of patients with suspected appendicitis, increasing diagnostic accuracy and improving clinical outcomes, without the risk of radiation induced cancer or iodinated contrast medium-related drawbacks. The multicenter OPTIMAP study was designed to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of MRI in patients with suspected acute appendicitis in the general population. Methods/Design Eligible for this study are consecutive patients presenting with clinically suspected appendicitis at the emergency department in six centers. All patients will undergo imaging according to the Dutch guideline for acute appendicitis: initial ultrasonography in all and subsequent CT whenever US does not confirm acute appendicitis. Then MRI is performed in all patients, but the results are not used for patient management. A final diagnosis assigned by an expert panel, based on all available information including 3-months follow-up, except MRI findings, is used as the reference standard in estimating accuracy. We will calculate the sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and inter-observer agreement of MRI, and aim to include 230 patients. Patient acceptance and total imaging costs will also be evaluated. Discussion If MRI is found to be sufficiently accurate, it could replace CT in some or all patients. This will limit or obviate the ionizing radiation exposure associated risk of cancer induction and contrast medium induced nephropathy with CT, preventing the burden and

Characterization of waste streams and suspect waste from largest Los Alamos National Laboratory generators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soukup, J.D.; Erpenbeck, G.J.

1995-01-01

A detailed waste stream characterization of 4 primary generators of low level waste at LANL was performed to aid in waste minimization efforts. Data was compiled for these four generators from 1988 to the present for analyses. Prior waste minimization efforts have focused on identifying waste stream processes and performing source materials substitutions or reductions where applicable. In this historical survey, the generators surveyed included an accelerator facility, the plutonium facility, a chemistry and metallurgy research facility, and a radiochemistry research facility. Of particular interest in waste minimization efforts was the composition of suspect low level waste in which no radioactivity is detected through initial survey. Ultimately, this waste is disposed of in the LANL low level permitted waste disposal pits (thus filling a scarce and expensive resource with sanitary waste). Detailed analyses of the waste streams from these 4 facilities, have revealed that suspect low level waste comprises approximately 50% of the low level waste by volume and 47% by weight. However, there are significant differences in suspect waste density when one considers the radioactive contamination. For the 2 facilities that deal primarily with beta emitting activation and spallation products (the radiochemistry and accelerator facilities), the suspect waste is much lower density than all low level waste coming from those facilities. For the 2 facilities that perform research on transuranics (the chemistry and metallurgy research and plutonium facilities), suspect waste is higher in density than all the low level waste from those facilities. It is theorized that the low density suspect waste is composed primarily of compactable lab trash, most of which is not contaminated but can be easily surveyed. The high density waste is theorized to be contaminated with alpha emitting radionuclides, and in this case, the suspect waste demonstrates fundamental limits in detection

[Pre-trial psychiatric reports on Antillean suspected offenders in the Netherlands and on the Dutch Antilles].

Science.gov (United States)

Vinkers, D J; Heytel, F G M; Matroos, G M; Hermans, K M; Hoek, H W

2010-01-01

The registered criminality among Antilleans living in the Netherlands is much higher than among Antilleans living on the Dutch Antilles (113 offences and 11 offences respectively, per year per 1000 persons, pDutch Antilles (n=199) between 2000 and 2006. A careful study was made of pre-trial psychiatric reports on Antillean suspected offenders (referred to as suspects) in the Netherlands and of comparable reports on Antillean suspects on the Dutch Antilles. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of mental disorders among Antillean suspects in the Netherlands (22.3%) and on the Dutch Antilles (20.3%). Abuse of drugs and cannabis was more prevalent on the Dutch Antilles where treatment for addiction is less frequently available than in the Netherlands. Mental retardation was ascertained more often among Antilleans in the Netherlands (22.4%) than among Antilleans on the Dutch Antilles (15.1%). Antillean suspects on the Dutch Antilles were more often found to be fully responsible for their actions than were Antillean suspects in the Netherlands (65.3% versus 19.1%, pDutch Antilles.

Transnational crime and the interface between legal and illegal actors : the case of the illicit art and antiquities trade

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tijhuis, Antonius Johannes Gerhardus

2006-01-01

In this PhD study the interface between legal governments and corporations on the one hand, and transnational criminals at the other hand, is analysed in depth. In the first part of the book, a typology of interfaces is developed that can be used to describe interfaces between legal and illegal

Integrated Landsat Image Analysis and Hydrologic Modeling to Detect Impacts of 25-Year Land-Cover Change on Surface Runoff in a Philippine Watershed

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Enrico Paringit

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Landsat MSS and ETM+ images were analyzed to detect 25-year land-cover change (1976–2001 in the critical Taguibo Watershed in Mindanao Island, Southern Philippines. This watershed has experienced historical modifications of its land-cover due to the presence of logging industries in the 1950s, and continuous deforestation due to illegal logging and slash-and-burn agriculture in the present time. To estimate the impacts of land-cover change on watershed runoff, land-cover information derived from the Landsat images was utilized to parameterize a GIS-based hydrologic model. The model was then calibrated with field-measured discharge data and used to simulate the responses of the watershed in its year 2001 and year 1976 land-cover conditions. The availability of land-cover information on the most recent state of the watershed from the Landsat ETM+ image made it possible to locate areas for rehabilitation such as barren and logged-over areas. We then created a “rehabilitated” land-cover condition map of the watershed (re-forestation of logged-over areas and agro-forestation of barren areas and used it to parameterize the model and predict the runoff responses of the watershed. Model results showed that changes in land-cover from 1976 to 2001 were directly related to the significant increase in surface runoff. Runoff predictions showed that a full rehabilitation of the watershed, especially in barren and logged-over areas, will be likely to reduce the generation of a huge volume of runoff during rainfall events. The results of this study have demonstrated the usefulness of multi-temporal Landsat images in detecting land-cover change, in identifying areas for rehabilitation, and in evaluating rehabilitation strategies for management of tropical watersheds through its use in hydrologic modeling.

Extra-appendiceal findings in pediatric abdominal CT for suspected appendicitis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Halverson, Mark; Delgado, Jorge; Mahboubi, Soroosh [The Children' s Hospital of Philadelphia, Department of Radiology, Philadelphia, PA (United States)

2014-07-15

Much has been written regarding the incidence, types, importance and management of abdominal CT incidental findings in adults, but there is a paucity of literature on incidental findings in children. We sought to determine the prevalence and characteristics of extra-appendiceal and incidental findings in pediatric abdominal CT performed for suspected appendicitis. A retrospective review was performed of abdominal CT for suspected appendicitis in a pediatric emergency department from July 2010 to June 2012. Extra-appendiceal findings were recorded. Any subsequent imaging was noted. Extra-appendiceal findings were divided into incidental findings of doubtful clinical significance, alternative diagnostic findings potentially providing a diagnosis other than appendicitis explaining the symptoms, and incidental findings that were abnormalities requiring clinical correlation and sometimes requiring further evaluation but not likely related to the patient symptoms. One hundred sixty-five children had abdominal CT for suspected appendicitis. Seventy-seven extra-appendiceal findings were found in 57 (34.5%) patients. Most findings (64 of 77) were discovered in children who did not have appendicitis. Forty-one of these findings (53%) could potentially help explain the patient's symptoms, while 30 of the findings (39%) were abnormalities that were unlikely to be related to the symptoms but required clinical correlation and sometimes further work-up. Six of the findings (8%) had doubtful or no clinical significance. Extra-appendiceal findings are common in children who undergo abdominal CT in the setting of suspected appendicitis. A significant percentage of these patients have findings that help explain their symptoms. Knowledge of the types and prevalence of these findings may help radiologists in the planning and interpretation of CT examinations in this patient population. (orig.)

Exploitation rates of two benthic resources across management regimes in central Chile: Evidence of illegal fishing in artisanal fisheries operating in open access areas

Science.gov (United States)

Andreu-Cazenave, Miguel; Subida, Maria Dulce; Fernandez, Miriam

2017-01-01

There is an urgent need to quantify the impacts of artisanal fisheries and define management practices that allow for the recovery and conservation of exploited stocks. The extent of illegal catch is particularly critical as a driver of overexploitation in artisanal fisheries. However, the lack of data at proper spatial scales limits the evaluation of illegal fishing and effectiveness of management practices. We used a catch curve analysis to estimate total instantaneous mortality as a proxy of fishing pressure in the artisanal benthic fishery in central Chile. We compared the patterns of total mortality in fishing grounds under the well-studied territorial use rights for fisheries system (TURF) immersed in a landscape of open access areas (OAA; no access restriction), and from these patterns determined the extent of illegal fishing in open access areas focusing on the two most frequently extracted resources: locos (Concholepas concholepas) and keyhole limpets (Fissurella spp.). The beauty of this seascape is the presence of the no-take (NT) area of Las Cruces as control (no fishing), allowing us to estimate natural mortality. Loco exploitation is banned in OAAs. However, loco mortality in OAAs was 92% higher than in the NT, and 42% higher than in TURFs. Keyhole limpet mortality was similar between TURFs and the NT, but doubled in OAAs. We also found strong differences in mortality among fishing grounds with the same level of protection (i.e. TURFs), and over time. Our results highlight (a) the high level of illegal fishing that may occur in artisanal fisheries under traditional management regimes, and (b) that TURFs can be effective to reduce fishing mortality. However, large variability among TURFs suggests the need for a deeper understanding of the drivers of success of TURFs. PMID:28666013

Exploitation rates of two benthic resources across management regimes in central Chile: Evidence of illegal fishing in artisanal fisheries operating in open access areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Andreu-Cazenave, Miguel; Subida, Maria Dulce; Fernandez, Miriam

2017-01-01

There is an urgent need to quantify the impacts of artisanal fisheries and define management practices that allow for the recovery and conservation of exploited stocks. The extent of illegal catch is particularly critical as a driver of overexploitation in artisanal fisheries. However, the lack of data at proper spatial scales limits the evaluation of illegal fishing and effectiveness of management practices. We used a catch curve analysis to estimate total instantaneous mortality as a proxy of fishing pressure in the artisanal benthic fishery in central Chile. We compared the patterns of total mortality in fishing grounds under the well-studied territorial use rights for fisheries system (TURF) immersed in a landscape of open access areas (OAA; no access restriction), and from these patterns determined the extent of illegal fishing in open access areas focusing on the two most frequently extracted resources: locos (Concholepas concholepas) and keyhole limpets (Fissurella spp.). The beauty of this seascape is the presence of the no-take (NT) area of Las Cruces as control (no fishing), allowing us to estimate natural mortality. Loco exploitation is banned in OAAs. However, loco mortality in OAAs was 92% higher than in the NT, and 42% higher than in TURFs. Keyhole limpet mortality was similar between TURFs and the NT, but doubled in OAAs. We also found strong differences in mortality among fishing grounds with the same level of protection (i.e. TURFs), and over time. Our results highlight (a) the high level of illegal fishing that may occur in artisanal fisheries under traditional management regimes, and (b) that TURFs can be effective to reduce fishing mortality. However, large variability among TURFs suggests the need for a deeper understanding of the drivers of success of TURFs.

Exploitation rates of two benthic resources across management regimes in central Chile: Evidence of illegal fishing in artisanal fisheries operating in open access areas.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miguel Andreu-Cazenave

Full Text Available There is an urgent need to quantify the impacts of artisanal fisheries and define management practices that allow for the recovery and conservation of exploited stocks. The extent of illegal catch is particularly critical as a driver of overexploitation in artisanal fisheries. However, the lack of data at proper spatial scales limits the evaluation of illegal fishing and effectiveness of management practices. We used a catch curve analysis to estimate total instantaneous mortality as a proxy of fishing pressure in the artisanal benthic fishery in central Chile. We compared the patterns of total mortality in fishing grounds under the well-studied territorial use rights for fisheries system (TURF immersed in a landscape of open access areas (OAA; no access restriction, and from these patterns determined the extent of illegal fishing in open access areas focusing on the two most frequently extracted resources: locos (Concholepas concholepas and keyhole limpets (Fissurella spp.. The beauty of this seascape is the presence of the no-take (NT area of Las Cruces as control (no fishing, allowing us to estimate natural mortality. Loco exploitation is banned in OAAs. However, loco mortality in OAAs was 92% higher than in the NT, and 42% higher than in TURFs. Keyhole limpet mortality was similar between TURFs and the NT, but doubled in OAAs. We also found strong differences in mortality among fishing grounds with the same level of protection (i.e. TURFs, and over time. Our results highlight (a the high level of illegal fishing that may occur in artisanal fisheries under traditional management regimes, and (b that TURFs can be effective to reduce fishing mortality. However, large variability among TURFs suggests the need for a deeper understanding of the drivers of success of TURFs.

Suspected placenta accreta and cesarean hysterectomy: observational cohort utilizing an intraoperative decision strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Weiniger, Carolyn F; Kabiri, Doron; Ginosar, Yehuda; Ezra, Yossef; Shachar, BatZion; Lyell, Deirdre J

2016-03-01

Planned cesarean hysterectomy (CH) is recommended to minimize morbidity for suspected placenta accreta (PA), yet this ends fertility. We examined CH frequency and post-operative morbidities for suspected PA cases when an intra-operative decision strategy to perform CH was used. Suspected PA cases were pre-operatively identified in one tertiary care center. Women were assessed intra-operatively, prior to uterine incision, for immediate CH or for attempted placental separation. We compared outcomes among women with versus without PA (surgical and/or pathologic diagnosis), and examined outcomes following immediate CH versus attempted placental separation. Our cohort, from 2002 to 2012, comprised 99 women with suspected PA; 54 (54.5%) had PA diagnosed by surgery/pathology, and 45 (45.5%) did not. Among women diagnoses surgically or pathologically with PA, CH was performed for 46/54 (85%); 8 women with suspected PA had successful placental separation. 27 of the 46 CH were performed immediately following uterine wall examination and 19 were performed following attempted placental separation. We received histological confirmation of the clinical placenta accreta diagnosis for 24/46 (52.2%) cases, and in 22/46 (47.8%) cases the histology did not confirm the clinical diagnosis. Surgery duration, packed cell transfusion requirement and postoperative outcomes were similar among women with PA regardless of immediate CH versus attempted placental separation, except for a higher cystotomy rates following attempted placental separation. Emergency deliveries were performed at significantly earlier gestational ages. Among women with suspected PA, an intra-operative CH decision allows some women to avoid CH. Consideration of attempted placental separation did not increase blood transfusion or post-operative complications, but was associated with a higher rate of cystotomy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Autism spectrum disorder symptoms in juvenile suspects of sex offenses.

Science.gov (United States)

't Hart-Kerkhoffs, Lisette A; Jansen, Lucres M; Doreleijers, Theo A; Vermeiren, Robert; Minderaa, Ruud B; Hartman, Catharina A

2009-02-01

To investigate autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms in juvenile suspects of sex offenses. A group of 175 juvenile suspected sex offenders (all males, mean +/- SD age = 14.9 +/- 1.4 years) was compared with a matched healthy control group (N = 500, mean +/- SD age = 14.0 +/- 1.4 years) and a group of children with DSM-IV-diagnosed ASD (N = 114, mean +/- SD age = 14.2 +/- 1.9 years) with respect to autistic symptoms as measured by means of a standardized questionnaire, the Children's Social Behavior Questionnaire. Furthermore, specific subgroups of sexual offenders, i.e., child molesters, solo peer offenders, and group offenders, were compared with regard to levels of ASD symptoms. The study was conducted from May 2003 to December 2006. Significantly higher levels of ASD symptoms were found in juvenile sex offenders than in healthy controls, while levels were lower than in the ASD group (F = 148.259, p symptoms than group offenders (F = 5.127, p symptoms are higher in juvenile suspects of sex offenses as compared to the healthy population, which argues for considering specific diagnostic assessment in this population, especially in solo offenders and child molesters. Copyright 2009 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Endogenous steroid profiling by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and multivariate statistics for the detection of natural hormone abuse in cattle

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blokland, M.H.; Tricht, van E.F.; Rossum, van H.J.; Sterk, S.S.; Nielen, M.W.F.

2012-01-01

For years it has been suspected that natural hormones are illegally used as growth promoters in cattle in the European Union. Unfortunately there is a lack of methods and criteria that can be used to detect the abuse of natural hormones and distinguish treated from non-treated animals. Pattern

Repair or Violation Detection? Pre-Attentive Processing Strategies of Phonotactic Illegality Demonstrated on the Constraint of g-Deletion in German

Science.gov (United States)

Steinberg, Johanna; Jacobsen, Thomas Konstantin; Jacobsen, Thomas

2016-01-01

Purpose: Effects of categorical phonotactic knowledge on pre-attentive speech processing were investigated by presenting illegal speech input that violated a phonotactic constraint in German called "g-deletion." The present study aimed to extend previous findings of automatic processing of phonotactic violations and to investigate the…

Fear, economic consequences, hunting competition, and distrust of authorities determine preferences for illegal lethal actions against gray wolves (Canis lupus)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Højberg, Peter Lyhne; Nielsen, Martin Reinhardt; Jacobsen, Jette Bredahl

2017-01-01

based on similarities of preferences. Preference for illegal lethal actions were found among four groups concerned about; (1) negative economic impact; (2) competition over game; (3) safety of humans and domestic animals, and; (4) lack of trust in authorities. Our results do not imply that 60...

Landslide hazard and land management in high-density urban areas of Campania region, Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Di Martire

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Results deriving from a research focused on the interplay between landslides and urban development are presented here, with reference to two densely populated settings located in the Campania region, Italy: the city of Naples and the island of Ischia. Both areas suffer adverse consequences from various types of landslides since at least 2000 yr. Our study evidences that, despite the long history of slope instabilities, the urban evolution, often illegal, disregarded the high landslide propensity of the hillsides; thus, unsafe lands have been occupied, even in recent years, when proper and strict rules have been enacted to downgrade the landslide risk. It is finally argued that future guidelines should not be entirely based upon physical countermeasures against mass movements. On the contrary, national and local authorities should enforce the territorial control, obliging citizens to respect the existing regulations and emphasizing the role of alternative, non-structural solutions.

Land use/land cover and land capability data for evaluating land utilization and official land use planning in Indramayu Regency, West Java, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Ambarwulan, W.; Widiatmaka; Nahib, I.

2018-05-01

Land utilization in Indonesia is regulated in an official spatial land use planning (OSLUP), stipulated by government regulations. However in fact, land utilizations are often develops inconsistent with regulations. OSLUP itself is also not usually compatible with sustainable land utilizations. This study aims to evaluate current land utilizations and OSLUP in Indramayu Regency, West Java. The methodology used is the integrated analysis using land use and land cover (LU/LC) data, land capability data and spatial pattern in OSLUP. Actual LU/LC are interpreted using SPOT-6 imagery of 2014. The spatial data of land capabilities are derived from land capability classification using field data and laboratory analysis. The confrontation between these spatial data is interpreted in terms of future direction for sustainable land use planning. The results shows that Indramayu regency consists of 8 types of LU/LC. Land capability in research area range from class II to VIII. Only a small portion of the land in Indramayu has been used in accordance with land capability, but most of the land is used exceeding its land capability.

Diagnostic work-up and loss of tuberculosis suspects in Jogjakarta, Indonesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Riris Andono; Matthys, Francine; Dwihardiani, Bintari; Rintiswati, Ning; de Vlas, Sake J; Mahendradhata, Yodi; van der Stuyft, Patrick

2012-02-15

Early and accurate diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is critical for successful TB control. To assist in the diagnosis of smear-negative pulmonary TB, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends the use of a diagnostic algorithm. Our study evaluated the implementation of the national tuberculosis programme's diagnostic algorithm in routine health care settings in Jogjakarta, Indonesia. The diagnostic algorithm is based on the WHO TB diagnostic algorithm, which had already been implemented in the health facilities. We prospectively documented the diagnostic work-up of all new tuberculosis suspects until a diagnosis was reached. We used clinical audit forms to record each step chronologically. Data on the patient's gender, age, symptoms, examinations (types, dates, and results), and final diagnosis were collected. Information was recorded for 754 TB suspects; 43.5% of whom were lost during the diagnostic work-up in health centres, 0% in lung clinics. Among the TB suspects who completed diagnostic work-ups, 51.1% and 100.0% were diagnosed without following the national TB diagnostic algorithm in health centres and lung clinics, respectively. However, the work-up in the health centres and lung clinics generally conformed to international standards for tuberculosis care (ISTC). Diagnostic delays were significantly longer in health centres compared to lung clinics. The high rate of patients lost in health centres needs to be addressed through the implementation of TB suspect tracing and better programme supervision. The national TB algorithm needs to be revised and differentiated according to the level of care.

Analysis of suspected wildlife crimes submitted for forensic examinations in Scotland.

Science.gov (United States)

Millins, Caroline; Howie, Fiona; Everitt, Charles; Shand, Michael; Lamm, Catherine

2014-09-01

This study describes the occurrence of suspected wildlife crimes submitted for forensic examination in Scotland in 2010. The study aims were to determine which types of crimes were committed, which species were targeted, and the outcome of investigations, in order to assess the contribution of forensic examinations in the prosecution of wildlife crimes. Information on suspected wildlife crimes submitted between January 1 and December 31, 2010 to the SAC Consulting: Veterinary Services Disease Surveillance Centers, Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture, and to the University of Glasgow, was used. The location of suspected crimes, the species targeted, cause of death, and types of the 188 submitted wildlife crimes were summarized. More information regarding cases involving birds were submitted than cases involving mammals, and included 114 raptors, 14 waterfowl, and 22 "other bird species." Mammal cases (n = 38) included 12 badgers, 8 foxes, 7 deer, 4 hares, and 7 "other mammals." The cause of death was determined in 124 suspected crimes; malicious or accidental trauma was the most likely cause of death in 72, and 33 were poisoned. Forensic evidence supporting criminal activity was found in 53 cases, and poisoning was the most frequent crime recorded. At least five individuals were successfully prosecuted, representing 2.7 % of submissions. It was challenging to track cases from submission through to prosecution and laboratories conducting forensic investigations were often not informed of the outcome of prosecutions or court decisions.

Occurrence of antibodies to Anaplasma phagocytophilum in patients with suspected tick-borne encephalitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zuzana Kalinová

2015-09-01

None of the examined patients with suspected TBE had the disease confirmed. Hoever, as shown by the results, the relative risk of occurrence of anaplasmosis is higher in people examined for some another vector-borne disease (in this case TBE. Therefore, the performance of screening examinations in patients suspected of having any tick-borne disease is very important.

Optimisation of the MR protocol in pregnant women with suspected acute appendicitis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Ilah; Chung, Yong Eun; An, Chansik; Kim, Honsoul; Lim, Joon Seok; Kim, Myeong-Jin [Yonsei University College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Research Institute of Radiological Science, Severance Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Hye Sun [Yonsei University College of Medicine, Department of Research Affairs, Biostatistics Collaboration Unit, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2018-02-15

To investigate the optimal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging protocol in pregnant women suspected of having acute appendicitis. One hundred and forty-six pregnant women with suspected appendicitis were included. MR images were reviewed by two radiologists in three separate sessions. In session 1, only axial single-shot turbo spin echo (SSH-TSE) T2-weighted images (WI) were included with other routine sequences. In sessions 2 and 3, coronal and sagittal T2WI were sequentially added. The visibility of the appendix and diagnostic confidence of appendicitis were evaluated in each session using a 5-point grading scale. If diseases other than appendicitis were suspected, specific diagnosis with a 5-point confidence scale was recorded. Diagnostic performance for appendicitis and other diseases were evaluated. Twenty-five patients (17.1%) were diagnosed with appendicitis. Among the patients with normal appendix, 28 were diagnosed with other disease. Diagnostic performance including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and area under the curve values for diagnosing appendicitis and other diseases showed no significant difference among sets for both reviewers (p>0.05). Diagnostic performance of MR in pregnant patients with suspected appendicitis can be preserved with omission of sagittal or both coronal and sagittal SSH-T2WI. (orig.)

Optimisation of the MR protocol in pregnant women with suspected acute appendicitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Ilah; Chung, Yong Eun; An, Chansik; Kim, Honsoul; Lim, Joon Seok; Kim, Myeong-Jin; Lee, Hye Sun

2018-01-01

To investigate the optimal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging protocol in pregnant women suspected of having acute appendicitis. One hundred and forty-six pregnant women with suspected appendicitis were included. MR images were reviewed by two radiologists in three separate sessions. In session 1, only axial single-shot turbo spin echo (SSH-TSE) T2-weighted images (WI) were included with other routine sequences. In sessions 2 and 3, coronal and sagittal T2WI were sequentially added. The visibility of the appendix and diagnostic confidence of appendicitis were evaluated in each session using a 5-point grading scale. If diseases other than appendicitis were suspected, specific diagnosis with a 5-point confidence scale was recorded. Diagnostic performance for appendicitis and other diseases were evaluated. Twenty-five patients (17.1%) were diagnosed with appendicitis. Among the patients with normal appendix, 28 were diagnosed with other disease. Diagnostic performance including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and area under the curve values for diagnosing appendicitis and other diseases showed no significant difference among sets for both reviewers (p>0.05). Diagnostic performance of MR in pregnant patients with suspected appendicitis can be preserved with omission of sagittal or both coronal and sagittal SSH-T2WI. (orig.)

Estimating Vertical Land Motion in the Chesapeake Bay

Science.gov (United States)

Houttuijn Bloemendaal, L.; Hensel, P.

2017-12-01

This study aimed to provide a modern measurement of subsidence in the Chesapeake Bay region and establish a methodology for measuring vertical land motion using static GPS, a cheaper alternative to InSAR or classical leveling. Vertical land motion in this area is of particular concern because tide gages are showing up to 5 mm/yr of local, relative sea level rise. While a component of this rate is the actual eustatic sea level rise itself, part of the trend may also be vertical land motion, in which subsidence exacerbates the effects of actual changes in sea level. Parts of this region are already experiencing an increase in the frequency and magnitude of near-shore coastal flooding, but the last comprehensive study of vertical land motion in this area was conducted by NOAA in 1974 (Holdahl & Morrison) using repeat leveled lines. More recent measures of vertical land motion can help inform efforts on resilience to sea level rise, such as in the Hampton Roads area. This study used measured GPS-derived vertical heights in conjunction with legacy GPS data to calculate rates of vertical motion at several points in time for a selection of benchmarks scattered throughout the region. Seventeen marks in the stable Piedmont area and in the areas suspected of subsidence in the Coastal Plain were selected for the analysis. Results indicate a significant difference between the rates of vertical motion in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, with a mean rate of -4.10 mm/yr in the Coastal Plain and 0.15 mm/yr in the Piedmont. The rates indicate particularly severe subsidence at the southern Delmarva Peninsula coast and the Hampton-Roads area, with a mean rate of -6.57 mm/yr in that region. By knowing local rates of subsidence as opposed to sea level change itself, coastal managers may make better informed decisions regarding natural resource use, such as deciding whether or not to reduce subsurface fluid withdrawals or to consider injecting treated water back into the aquifer to slow

48 CFR 903.303 - Reporting suspected antitrust violations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... as described in FAR 3.301, and antitrust law violations as described in FAR 3.303, evidenced in bids... antitrust violations. 903.303 Section 903.303 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY GENERAL IMPROPER BUSINESS PRACTICES AND PERSONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST Reports of Suspected Antitrust...

Talking heads : interviewing suspects from a cultural perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beune, K.

2009-01-01

Although the literature on the interviewing of suspects has increased over the past decade, research on the use and effectiveness of police strategies and their boundary conditions is very rare. The present dissertation aims to fill this void by identifying behaviors that appeal to and persuade

48 CFR 3.303 - Reporting suspected antitrust violations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... suspect. Paragraph (c) below identifies behavior patterns that are often associated with antitrust... offers; (2) A sudden change from competitive bidding to identical bidding; (3) Simultaneous price... turn in sequence as low bidder, or so that certain competitors bid low only on some sizes of contracts...

Suspect filler similarity in eyewitness lineups: a literature review and a novel methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzgerald, Ryan J; Oriet, Chris; Price, Heather L

2015-02-01

Eyewitness lineups typically contain a suspect (guilty or innocent) and fillers (known innocents). The degree to which fillers should resemble the suspect is a complex issue that has yet to be resolved. Previously, researchers have voiced concern that eyewitnesses would be unable to identify their target from a lineup containing highly similar fillers; however, our literature review suggests highly similar fillers have only rarely been shown to have this effect. To further examine the effect of highly similar fillers on lineup responses, we used morphing software to create fillers of moderately high and very high similarity to the suspect. When the culprit was in the lineup, a higher correct identification rate was observed in moderately high similarity lineups than in very high similarity lineups. When the culprit was absent, similarity did not yield a significant effect on innocent suspect misidentification rates. However, the correct rejection rate in the moderately high similarity lineup was 20% higher than in the very high similarity lineup. When choosing rates were controlled by calculating identification probabilities for only those who made a selection from the lineup, culprit identification rates as well as innocent suspect misidentification rates were significantly higher in the moderately high similarity lineup than in the very high similarity lineup. Thus, very high similarity fillers yielded costs and benefits. Although our research suggests that selecting the most similar fillers available may adversely affect correct identification rates, we recommend additional research using fillers obtained from police databases to corroborate our findings.

Global trends and factors associated with the illegal killing of elephants: A hierarchical bayesian analysis of carcass encounter data.

Science.gov (United States)

Burn, Robert W; Underwood, Fiona M; Blanc, Julian

2011-01-01

Elephant poaching and the ivory trade remain high on the agenda at meetings of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Well-informed debates require robust estimates of trends, the spatial distribution of poaching, and drivers of poaching. We present an analysis of trends and drivers of an indicator of elephant poaching of all elephant species. The site-based monitoring system known as Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE), set up by the 10(th) Conference of the Parties of CITES in 1997, produces carcass encounter data reported mainly by anti-poaching patrols. Data analyzed were site by year totals of 6,337 carcasses from 66 sites in Africa and Asia from 2002-2009. Analysis of these observational data is a serious challenge to traditional statistical methods because of the opportunistic and non-random nature of patrols, and the heterogeneity across sites. Adopting a bayesian hierarchical modeling approach, we used the proportion of carcasses that were illegally killed (PIKE) as a poaching index, to estimate the trend and the effects of site- and country-level factors associated with poaching. Important drivers of illegal killing that emerged at country level were poor governance and low levels of human development, and at site level, forest cover and area of the site in regions where human population density is low. After a drop from 2002, PIKE remained fairly constant from 2003 until 2006, after which it increased until 2008. The results for 2009 indicate a decline. Sites with PIKE ranging from the lowest to the highest were identified. The results of the analysis provide a sound information base for scientific evidence-based decision making in the CITES process.

Global trends and factors associated with the illegal killing of elephants: A hierarchical bayesian analysis of carcass encounter data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert W Burn

Full Text Available Elephant poaching and the ivory trade remain high on the agenda at meetings of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES. Well-informed debates require robust estimates of trends, the spatial distribution of poaching, and drivers of poaching. We present an analysis of trends and drivers of an indicator of elephant poaching of all elephant species. The site-based monitoring system known as Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE, set up by the 10(th Conference of the Parties of CITES in 1997, produces carcass encounter data reported mainly by anti-poaching patrols. Data analyzed were site by year totals of 6,337 carcasses from 66 sites in Africa and Asia from 2002-2009. Analysis of these observational data is a serious challenge to traditional statistical methods because of the opportunistic and non-random nature of patrols, and the heterogeneity across sites. Adopting a bayesian hierarchical modeling approach, we used the proportion of carcasses that were illegally killed (PIKE as a poaching index, to estimate the trend and the effects of site- and country-level factors associated with poaching. Important drivers of illegal killing that emerged at country level were poor governance and low levels of human development, and at site level, forest cover and area of the site in regions where human population density is low. After a drop from 2002, PIKE remained fairly constant from 2003 until 2006, after which it increased until 2008. The results for 2009 indicate a decline. Sites with PIKE ranging from the lowest to the highest were identified. The results of the analysis provide a sound information base for scientific evidence-based decision making in the CITES process.

Deforestation in the Amazon: What is illegal and what is not?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antônio Carlos Hummel

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Brazil has succeeded in reducing deforestation rates in the Amazon, but has not succeeded in explaining to the general public how much of this deforestation was illegal and how much was legally authorized. Transparency of deforestation data is limited, and pertinent legislation is little understood and poorly applied in practice. Lack of dissemination of information on authorized clearing of vegetation and lack of implementation of regulatory frameworks are contentious issues when defining strategies to reach zero deforestation in the Amazon region and for building policies related to climate change mitigation. The need to establish the new Forest Code provides an opportunity to establish goals and regulations for zero deforestation. This paper provides recommendations on how to communicate this information to the general public, how to make regulatory instruments effective and how to implement a zero deforestation agenda.

Factors associated to referral of tuberculosis suspects by private practitioners to community health centres in Bali Province, Indonesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Artawan Eka Putra, I Wayan Gede; Utami, Ni Wayan Arya; Suarjana, I Ketut; Duana, I Made Kerta; Astiti, Cok Istri Darma; Putra, I W; Probandari, Ari; Tiemersma, Edine W; Wahyuni, Chatarina Umbul

2013-10-28

The contrast between the low proportion of tuberculosis (TB) suspects referred from private practitioners in Bali province and the high volume of TB suspects seeking care at private practices suggests problems with TB suspect referral from private practitioners to the public health sector. We aimed to identify key factors associated with the referral of TB suspects by private practitioners. We conducted a case-control study conducted in Bali province, Indonesia. The cases were private practitioners who had referred at least one TB suspect to a community health centre between 1 January 2007 and the start of data collection, while the controls were private practitioners who had not referred a single TB suspect in the same time. The following factors were independently associated with referral of TB suspects by private practitioners: having received information about the directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) strategy (OR 2.0; 95% CI 1.1-3.8), ever having been visited by a district TB program officer (OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.0-4.5), availability of TB suspect referral forms in the practice (OR 2.8; 95% CI 1.5-5.2), and less than 5 km distance between the private practice and the laboratory for smear examination (OR 2.2; 95% CI 1.2-4.0). Education and exposure of private practitioners to the TB program improves referral of TB suspects from private practitioners to the national TB program. We recommend that the TB program provides all private practitioners with information about the DOTS strategy and TB suspect referral forms, and organizes regular visits to private practitioners.

Correlates and Suspected Causes of Obesity in Children

Science.gov (United States)

Crothers, Laura M.; Kehle, Thomas J.; Bray, Melissa A.; Theodore, Lea A.

2009-01-01

The correlates and suspected causes of the intractable condition obesity are complex and involve environmental and heritable, psychological and physical variables. Overall, the factors associated with and possible causes of it are not clearly understood. Although there exists some ambiguity in the research regarding the degree of happiness in…

Early warning of illegal development for protected areas by integrating cellular automata with neural networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xia; Lao, Chunhua; Liu, Yilun; Liu, Xiaoping; Chen, Yimin; Li, Shaoying; Ai, Bing; He, Zijian

2013-11-30

Ecological security has become a major issue under fast urbanization in China. As the first two cities in this country, Shenzhen and Dongguan issued the ordinance of Eco-designated Line of Control (ELC) to "wire" ecologically important areas for strict protection in 2005 and 2009 respectively. Early warning systems (EWS) are a useful tool for assisting the implementation ELC. In this study, a multi-model approach is proposed for the early warning of illegal development by integrating cellular automata (CA) and artificial neural networks (ANN). The objective is to prevent the ecological risks or catastrophe caused by such development at an early stage. The integrated model is calibrated by using the empirical information from both remote sensing and handheld GPS (global positioning systems). The MAR indicator which is the ratio of missing alarms to all the warnings is proposed for better assessment of the model performance. It is found that the fast urban development has caused significant threats to natural-area protection in the study area. The integration of CA, ANN and GPS provides a powerful tool for describing and predicting illegal development which is in highly non-linear and fragmented forms. The comparison shows that this multi-model approach has much better performances than the single-model approach for the early warning. Compared with the single models of CA and ANN, this integrated multi-model can improve the value of MAR by 65.48% and 5.17% respectively. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Actual problems of the antimonopoly requirements` observance in the bidding for the sale of land in the Russian Federation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexey Pavlovich ANISIMOV

2013-06-01

Full Text Available A comprehensive view of the topic of Antimonopoly regulation in the sphere of land auctions for the Russian legal science and legal science other Eastern European countries is highly relevant. The importance of such research is that foreign companies having business in Russia are not always aware of specificity in land tendering legal regulation and antimonopoly requirements in this sphere. Moreover, the practice of violation of antimonopoly legislation in the sphere of land tendering and probable means of legislation improvement may hereby present more interest for them. The authors cite and analyze various typical violations in the sphere of land tendering, including publication of land auctions notices in an improper printing agency; lack of applications registration and putting forward extra requirements towards the participants; display for land parcels auctions for which no technical specifications of networking have been determined and no payment for such networking has been established; attempts of local administration to provide land parcels without prior approval of the objects’ places of location and without auctions (though such a procedure is of an extremely local character and is only performed in cases expressly specified by the Federal Law; collection of extra and illegal fees from physical and legal entities for participation in auctions; tendering in cases when they are not to be carried out under the Law (gardening, haymaking; underpricing of a land parcel, etc. Eventually a conclusion is drawn on the effectiveness of auctions which shall be secured by establishing a legal procedure which details and definitely determines tendering regulations, requirements towards the participants and order of agreement’s conclusion. Control on the part of antimonopoly bodies, undoubtedly, allows forming barriers for dishonest participants of the auctions. The authors assume that it is rather difficult to achieve absence of mal-usage by

Anesthetic management in patients suspected of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease -A case report-.

Science.gov (United States)

In, Chi Bum; Choi, Young Sil; Park, Eun Young; Chang, Dong Jin; Lee, Soo Kyung; Choi, Hyun; Moon, Hyun Soo

2011-09-01

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder in which accumulation of the pathogenic prion protein induces neuronal damage and results in distinct pathologic features. This abnormal prion is an infectious protein and resistant to methods of sterilization currently being used. Therefore, management of definite, or suspected CJD patients requires additional precautions. We report our experience of a patient who had undergone brain biopsy for suspected of CJD. The patient was confirmed to have sporadic CJD.

A case report of suspected malignant hyperthermia where patient survived the episode.

Science.gov (United States)

Iqbal, Asif; Badoo, Shoaib; Naqeeb, Ruqsana

2017-01-01

Malignant hyperthermia is rare inherited disorder in our part of the world; there are only few cases reported in literature in India who were suspected of having this condition. The overall incidence of malignant hyperthermia during general anesthesia is estimated to range from 1: 5000 to 1: 50,000-100,000 and mortality rate is estimated to be <5% in the presence of standard care. In India, there is no center where in vitro halothane caffeine contraction test is performed to confirm diagnosis in suspected cases. Second, dantrolene drug of choice for this condition is not freely available in market in India and is stored only in some hospitals in few major cities. Among the cases reported of suspected of malignant hyperthermia in India almost 50% have survived the condition despite nonavailability of dantrolene emphasizing role of early detection and aggressive management in these cases.

A case report of suspected malignant hyperthermia where patient survived the episode

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asif Iqbal

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Malignant hyperthermia is rare inherited disorder in our part of the world; there are only few cases reported in literature in India who were suspected of having this condition. The overall incidence of malignant hyperthermia during general anesthesia is estimated to range from 1: 5000 to 1: 50,000–100,000 and mortality rate is estimated to be <5% in the presence of standard care. In India, there is no center where in vitro halothane caffeine contraction test is performed to confirm diagnosis in suspected cases. Second, dantrolene drug of choice for this condition is not freely available in market in India and is stored only in some hospitals in few major cities. Among the cases reported of suspected of malignant hyperthermia in India almost 50% have survived the condition despite nonavailability of dantrolene emphasizing role of early detection and aggressive management in these cases.

Risk Factors and Bacterial Profile of Suspected Neonatal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Neonatal septicaemia is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries and a major health concern. The aim of this study is to evaluate the bacterial profile, antibiotics susceptibility pattern and associated risk factors of suspected septicaemia in neonates in this locality. Five hundred and forty seven ...

Diagnostic work-up and loss of tuberculosis suspects in Jogjakarta, Indonesia

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Ahmad Riris

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Early and accurate diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB is critical for successful TB control. To assist in the diagnosis of smear-negative pulmonary TB, the World Health Organisation (WHO recommends the use of a diagnostic algorithm. Our study evaluated the implementation of the national tuberculosis programme's diagnostic algorithm in routine health care settings in Jogjakarta, Indonesia. The diagnostic algorithm is based on the WHO TB diagnostic algorithm, which had already been implemented in the health facilities. Methods We prospectively documented the diagnostic work-up of all new tuberculosis suspects until a diagnosis was reached. We used clinical audit forms to record each step chronologically. Data on the patient's gender, age, symptoms, examinations (types, dates, and results, and final diagnosis were collected. Results Information was recorded for 754 TB suspects; 43.5% of whom were lost during the diagnostic work-up in health centres, 0% in lung clinics. Among the TB suspects who completed diagnostic work-ups, 51.1% and 100.0% were diagnosed without following the national TB diagnostic algorithm in health centres and lung clinics, respectively. However, the work-up in the health centres and lung clinics generally conformed to international standards for tuberculosis care (ISTC. Diagnostic delays were significantly longer in health centres compared to lung clinics. Conclusions The high rate of patients lost in health centres needs to be addressed through the implementation of TB suspect tracing and better programme supervision. The national TB algorithm needs to be revised and differentiated according to the level of care.

Suspected infection in afebrile patients : Are they septic?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martins, Fernanda de Souza; Guedes, Gisele Giuliane; Santos, Thiago Martins; de Carvalho-Filho, Marco A

We prospectively evaluated afebrile patients admitted to an emergency department (ED), with suspected infection and only tachycardia or tachypnea.The white blood cell count (WBC) was obtained, and patients were considered septic if leukocyte count was >12,000 μL-1 or <4000 μL-1 or with >10% of band

Pathologically confirmed autoimmune encephalitis in suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maat, P.; de Beukelaar, J.W.; Jansen, C.; Schuur, M.; van Duijn, C.M.; van Coevorden, M.H.; de Graaff, E.; Titulaer, E.; Rozemuller, A.J.M.; Sillevis Smitt, P.

2015-01-01

Objective: To determine the clinical features and presence in CSF of antineuronal antibodies in patients with pathologically proven autoimmune encephalitis derived from a cohort of patients with suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Methods: The Dutch Surveillance Centre for Prion Diseases

Producing 'internal suspect bodies': divisive effects of UK counter-terrorism measures on Muslim communities in Leeds and Bradford.

Science.gov (United States)

Abbas, Madeline-Sophie

2018-04-06

Research on UK government counter-terrorism measures has claimed that Muslims are treated as a 'suspect community'. However, there is limited research exploring the divisive effects that membership of a 'suspect community' has on relations within Muslim communities. Drawing from interviews with British Muslims living in Leeds or Bradford, I address this gap by explicating how co-option of Muslim community members to counter extremism fractures relations within Muslim communities. I reveal how community members internalize fears of state targeting which precipitates internal disciplinary measures. I contribute the category of 'internal suspect body' which is materialized through two intersecting conditions within preventative counter-terrorism: the suspected extremist for Muslims to look out for and suspected informer who might report fellow Muslims. I argue that the suspect community operates through a network of relations by which terrors of counter-terrorism are reproduced within Muslim communities with divisive effects. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2018.

Illegal handling of radioactive and nuclear materials. Threats and suggestions for measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliver, Lena; Melin, Lena; Prawitz, Jan; Ringbom, Anders; Sandstroem, Bjoern; Wigg, Lars; Wirstam, Jens

2004-01-01

This project deals with threats from smuggling or other illegal transportation of radioactive or nuclear materials across the borders to Sweden, and with the security of handling such materials in Sweden. The project has included studies of relevant documentation; visits and interviews at industries, hospitals, research institutes and military institutions in Sweden that handle radioactive materials; a pilot study at the Stockholm freeport, where equipment for detection of radioactive materials has been tested for six months; an analysis of incidents reported to the IAEA database; and an analysis of Swedish incidents. The following conclusions are drawn: Stricter rules regarding the physical protection of radiation sources and radioactive materials should be implemented in Sweden. The recommendations recently issued by IAEA should serve as a point of departure for working out such rules

Three models of labor conflict in chile: the weight of the economy, trade union organization, and work regime in illegal strike tendencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo Medel Sierralta

2017-07-01

Full Text Available From the return to democracy to the present, illegal strikes have acquired a prominent role in Chile’s labor conflicts, mainly due to the fact that many more workers mobilize, compared to those who participate in legal strikes. Nevertheless, existing studies on the subject focus on descriptions and general tendencies, thus neglecting the in-depth analysis of the factors determining the specific occurrence of the extralegal strikes. Consequently, the factors that might be contributing to the possibility of illegal strikes remain unknown. If labor strikes are construed as analytical events that are fundamental in order to understand power relations in capitalist enterprises, the review of the international literature on the subject helps us solve that problem, since it proposes statistical analysis models to study the economy at the national level (economic cycles, trade union organization (membership and size of unions, and work regime (fragmentation and job insecurity, as well as a further company-level analysis of the last two models. On the basis of statistics regarding the strikes that took place in Chile between 1990 and 2015 and a binary logistic regression analysis, we analyzed the weight of each one of those statistical models separately and that of all of them taken together, in the private sector of the economy (in which it is possible to opt for one or the other strike modality in the Chilean case. The results show that the trade union organization and the work regime models have a greater power to determine illegal strikes, and that the economic model loses meaning when its variables are included in the complete model. Finally, the article presents the conclusions regarding the relevance of the distinction between legal and illegal strikes for the Chilean case, in terms of workers that not only represent subjects without rights, but also actors with a certain autonomy regarding legality. In this sense, these

FDG-PET of patients with suspected renal failure. Standardized uptake values in normal tissues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minamimoto, Ryogo; Takahashi, Nobukazu; Inoue, Tomio

2007-01-01

This study aims to clarify the effect of renal function on 2-[ 18 F] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging and determine the clinical significance of renal function in this setting. We compared FDG distribution between normal volunteers and patients with suspected renal failure. Twenty healthy volunteers and 20 patients with suspected renal failure who underwent FDG-PET between November 2002 and May 2005 were selected for this study. We define ''patients with suspected renal failure'' as having a blood serum creatinine level in excess of 1.1 mg/dl. The serum creatinine level was examined once in 2 weeks of the FDG-PET study. Regions of interest were placed over 15 regions for semi-quantitative analysis: the white matter, cortex, both upper lung fields, both middle lung fields, both lower lung fields, mediastinum, myocardium of the left ventricle, the left atrium as a cardiac blood pool, central region of the right lobe of the liver, left kidney, and both femoris muscles. The mean standardized uptake values (SUVs) of brain cortex and white matter were higher in healthy volunteers than in renal patients. The mean SUVs of the mediastinum at the level of the aortic arch and left atrium as a cardiac blood pool were lower in healthy volunteers than in patients with suspected renal failure. These regions differed between healthy volunteers and patients with suspected renal failure (P<0.05). We found decreasing brain accumulation and increasing blood pool accumulation of FDG in patients with high plasma creatinine. Although the difference is small, this phenomenon will not have a huge effect on the assessment of FDG-PET imaging in patients with suspected renal failure. (author)

A suspected case of Addison's disease in cattle.

Science.gov (United States)

Lambacher, Bianca; Wittek, Thomas

2015-09-01

A 4.75-year old Simmental cow was presented with symptoms of colic and ileus. The clinical signs and blood analysis resulted in the diagnosis of suspected primary hypoadrenocorticism (Addison's disease). Although Addison's disease has been frequently described in other domestic mammals, to our knowledge, this disease has not previously been reported in cattle.

Confronting Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing with proper port and flagged states policies: The case of South Korea and European Union

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Midani, Rahimi Amaj; Lee, S.G.

2016-01-01

Roč. 10, č. 3 (2016), s. 43-51 E-ISSN 1307-234X Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : illegal unreported and unregulated * South Korea * distant water fishing * European Union * normative power * market power Subject RIV: GL - Fishing www. fisheries sciences.com

Burden of proof for the illegal immissions as prerequisite of in rem removal claim

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Knežević Marko

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The paper examines the question of the burden of proof for the facts that imply illegal immission as prerequisite of in rem removal claim. The approach is different to the standard doctrine and it is in according to the general rule of the burden of proof in litigation - so called modified norm theory. In the centre of the attention is distinction of so called constitutive and impeditive facts, and criteria for distinction. The implementation of modified norm theory regarding issue of this paper shows that primal distinguishing point is not suitable, so the other modification methods should be applied, in order to get the answer.

[The illegal market for gender-related drugs as portrayed in the Brazilian news media: the case of misoprostol and women].

Science.gov (United States)

Diniz, Debora; Castro, Rosana

2011-01-01

This article analyzes how the Brazilian news media covers the illegal market for misoprostol, the main drug used to induce abortion. A total of 1,429 news stories were retrieved from 220 print and electronic media channels from 2004 to 2009. The analysis included 524 stories from 62 regional and national newspapers. Misoprostol appeared repeatedly in the news, but was usually approached from a criminal perspective, unlike abortion as a whole, which the Brazilian media routinely covers as a religious, political, and public health issue. Misoprostol is part of the illegal gender-related drug market, along with drugs for weight loss and erectile dysfunction and anabolic steroids. Sixty-four (12%) of the news stories told life histories of women who had aborted with misoprostol. The women's ages ranged from 13 to 46 years, and socioeconomic status was associated with different experiences with abortion. Three characters appeared in the women's abortion itineraries: girlfriends (confidantes), go-betweens, and physicians. Stories of late-stage abortion are confused with the criminal characterization of infanticide and provide the extreme cases in the media's narrative on abortion.

RETRIEVING SUSPECT TRANSURANIC WASTE FROM THE HANFORD BURIAL GROUNDS PROGRESS PLANS AND CHALLENGES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

FRENCH, M.S.

2006-01-01

This paper describes the scope and status of the program for retrieval of suspect transuranic (TRU) waste stored in the Hanford Site low-level burial grounds. Beginning in 1970 and continuing until the late 1980's, waste suspected of containing significant quantities of transuranic isotopes was placed in ''retrievable'' storage in designated modules in the Hanford burial grounds, with the intent that the waste would be retrieved when a national repository for disposal of such waste became operational. Approximately 15,000 cubic meters of waste, suspected of being TRU, was placed in storage modules in four burial grounds. With the availability of the national repository (the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant), retrieval of the suspect TRU waste is now underway. Retrieval efforts, to date, have been conducted in storage modules that contain waste, which is in general, contact-handled, relatively new (1980's and later), is stacked in neat, engineered configurations, and has a relatively good record of waste characteristics. Even with these optimum conditions, retrieval personnel have had to deal with a large number of structurally degraded containers, radioactive contamination issues, and industrial hazards (including organic vapors). Future retrieval efforts in older, less engineered modules are expected to present additional hazards and difficult challenges

Overcoming Innocents' Naiveté: Pre-interrogation Decision-making Among Innocent Suspects.

Science.gov (United States)

Scherr, Kyle C; Alberts, Kimberly M; Franks, Andrew S; Hawkins, Ian

2016-07-01

Suspects, especially innocent ones, are highly susceptible to waiving their interrogation rights. This research tested the ability of two strategies to overcome innocent suspects' willingness to waive their rights. One strategy was based on the social influence of scarcity (i.e., not constraining the pre-interrogation time limit). The other strategy focused on disrupting individuals' cognitive fluency during the decision-making process (i.e., violating their induced expectation of offering a waiver). Disrupting innocent individuals' cognitive fluency increased their willingness to invoke their rights and, notably, was not qualified by interactions with any other factors. However, scarcity did not influence individuals' pre-interrogation decision-making. Results also further established the association between innocent individuals' naïve mindset and their willingness to waive their rights - specifically, innocents' willingness to waive their rights increased with the strength of their just world beliefs. The theoretical and applied implications of these findings are discussed. The importance and benefit of reforming pre-interrogation protocols using fair and feasible strategies that would disrupt suspects' cognitive fluency are emphasized. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The 24- hour pattern of intraocular pressure in suspected glaucoma patients

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Shan-Shan Li

2018-05-01

Full Text Available AIM: To analyze the value of 24-hour intraocular pressure(IOPmonitoring in suspected glaucoma patients.METHODS: Totally 48 suspected glaucoma(96 eyeswere selected for 24-hour IOP monitoring by using Accupen tonometer(24-3000and non-contact tonometer(NCT, CT-80Afrom 9:30 to 7:30 next day(once in 2h. During 07:30 to 21:30, patients were measured in sitting position, while during 23:30 to 05:30 in both sitting and supine position.RESULTS: A morning peak of IOP was shown at 7:30 in traditional position by using two measures with 22.05±3.608mmHg of NCT and 19.79±4.147mmHg of Accupen tonometer. The peak IOP in habitual position appeared in 5:30 with 21.64±4.814mmHg. The lowest IOP occurred in both position at 21:30 with 15.73±3.649mmHg. Both positions showed IOP trend of going up at night and then declining in the morning. CONCLUSION: The peak IOP in suspected glaucoma occurs mostly at early morning. Supine IOP of sleeping time is higher than that of sitting position.

Suspected pulmonary tuberculosis in rural South Africa - Sputum ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Three (125%) of the 24 patients with a discharge diagnosis other than TB (17 pneumonia, 3 old TB, 2 carcinoma of the lung, 1 bronchiectasis) turned out to have TB within the follow-up period; 2 of those had extrapulmonary TB Conclusion, SI produced a positive smear result in 29% of patients with suspected TB who had ...

Knowledge and attitudes about HIV/AIDS in illegal residents in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

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Ziad A Memish

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: To study the knowledge, attitudes, and practices with regard to human immunodeficiency virus infection / acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS in illegal residents, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire study was conducted among the illegal residents from four regions in Saudi Arabia: Jeddah, Makkah, Riyadh, and Jazan. Results: The survey enrolled 5,000 participants, 79%male (39.6% from Jeddah; 20% from Riyadh; and 20% from Jazan, aged between 15 and 45 years. Of the total, 1288 (25.8% had not heard about HIV/AIDS. Knowledge of HIV transmission was poor in 90% of the respondents. Of the total, 737 had read about HIV/AIDS materials and 649 participants had been previously tested for HIV. The majority of participants (85% held a negative attitude toward people living with HIV/AIDS. Those who were knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS expressed more a positive attitude. One-fifth (968, majority were men; single 55%, married 45% had engaged in non-marital sexual activity. The largest proportion of the individuals who had engaged in non-marital sex were single (54.9% followed by the married ones (40.4%. Men cited pleasure as the main reason for such activity (84.6%, whereas women (73.4% cited financial gain. Of the respondents, 53.9 and 32.1% believed that TV and schools were the best media through which information with regard to HIV/AIDS could be imparted. Conclusions: Knowledge of HIV/AIDS, its mode of transmission, and prevention measures was poor. Educational programs specifically targeted toward this group were required.

Head circumference at birth and exposure to tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs during early pregnancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ortega-García, Juan A; Gutierrez-Churango, Jorge E; Sánchez-Sauco, Miguel F; Martínez-Aroca, Miguel; Delgado-Marín, Juan L; Sánchez-Solis, M; Parrilla-Paricio, J J; Claudio, Luz; Martínez-Lage, Juan F

2012-03-01

We aimed to assess the effects of exposure to tobacco smoke, alcohol and illegal drugs during early pregnancy on the head circumference (HC) at birth of otherwise healthy neonates. A follow-up study from the first trimester of pregnancy to birth was carried out in 419 neonates. An environmental reproductive health form was used to record data of substance exposure obtained during the first obstetric visit at the end of the first trimester. A multiple linear regression model was created for this purpose. Alcohol intake during pregnancy and medical ionizing radiation exposure were the most significant predictors of HC. The mothers' alcohol consumption increased with the mothers' and fathers' education level, net family income and fathers' alcohol consumption. In contrast, maternal smoking decreased with increasing mothers' and fathers' education level and net family income. About 13% of the surveyed embryos were exposed to illegal drugs. Mild to moderate alcohol consumption diminishes the at-birth HC of theoretically healthy newborns in a linear form. There was no threshold dose. We perceived a need for increasing the awareness, and for training, of health care professionals and parents, in regard to risks of alcohol consumption and for recommending abstinence of these substances in both parents during pregnancy. It should also be remembered that medical ionizing radiation should be performed only during the first half of the cycle in fertile women. We think that our study has an important social impact as it affords data for implementing policies for promoting "healthy pregnancies".

METHODOLOGICAL BASIS IMPOSING RESTRICTIONS IN LAND USE, BURDENED LAND RIGHTS DURING LAND TENURE

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Dorosh J.

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The question of balanced consolidation of social legislation in a reasonable ratio of land rights and the interests of society as a whole, as well as local communities, citizens and legal entities established by them are general in nature and require specificity it is. Proved that one way of solving this problem is the establishment of restoictions of land rights, restrictions in land use. However, the mechanism of regulation establishment, implementation and termination of restrictions on the rights to land are not very functional and needs improvement. Current legislation in Ukraine does not contain a balanced set of regulations that would determine the nature and objectives of the restrictions, including encumbrances of land rights, their types, the reasons establishing and implementing restrictions of ownership and other rights to land and so on. Based on our analysis, we provide scientifically grounded suggestions on improving the legal framework, particularly, in terms of restrictions on land use and registration in the land management process, as an important means of influence on those rights in order to ensure rational land use and protection it is. Proved that the efficiency of administrative decisions during setting restrictions on land use purpose and usage of land is possible on the basis of land zoning, thus, it is necessary to adopt the Law of Ukraine "On land zoning." In addition, the current classification of land use restrictions, which was proposed by prominent scientists in Ukraine AM Tretyak (classification of restrictions in land use by functional features, and D.S. Dobryak and D.I. Babmindra (classification of restrictions on land use based on their placement by owners and land users, is complemented by types, namely: legal, environmental, ecological, technological, sanitation, urban and special. In the result of scientific studies,we have proposed a model of methodological process of land management actions on formation

Does this adult patient with suspected bacteremia require blood cultures?

Science.gov (United States)

Coburn, Bryan; Morris, Andrew M; Tomlinson, George; Detsky, Allan S

2012-08-01

Clinicians order blood cultures liberally among patients in whom bacteremia is suspected, though a small proportion of blood cultures yield true-positive results. Ordering blood cultures inappropriately may be both wasteful and harmful. To review the accuracy of easily obtained clinical and laboratory findings to inform the decision to obtain blood cultures in suspected bacteremia. A MEDLINE and EMBASE search (inception to April 2012) yielded 35 studies that met inclusion criteria for evaluating the accuracy of clinical variables for bacteremia in adult immunocompetent patients, representing 4566 bacteremia and 25,946 negative blood culture episodes. Data were extracted to determine the prevalence and likelihood ratios (LRs) of findings for bacteremia. The pretest probability of bacteremia varies depending on the clinical context, from low (eg, cellulitis: 2%) to high (eg, septic shock: 69%). Elevated temperatures alone do not accurately predict bacteremia (for ≥38°C [>100.3°F], LR, 1.9 [95% CI, 1.4-2.4]; for ≥38.5°C [>101.2°F], LR, 1.4 [95% CI, 1.1-2.0]), nor does isolated leukocytosis (LR, cultures should not be ordered for adult patients with isolated fever or leukocytosis without considering the pretest probability. SIRS and the decision rule may be helpful in identifying patients who do not need blood cultures. These conclusions do not apply to immunocompromised patients or when endocarditis is suspected.

Thoracic computed tomography in patients with suspected malignant pleural effusions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Traill, Zoee C.; Davies, Robert J.O.; Gleeson, Fergus V.

2001-01-01

AIM: To assess the role of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) prospectively in patients with suspected malignant pleural effusions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty consecutive patients referred for the investigation of a suspected malignant pleural effusion had contrast-enhanced thoracic CT, thoracoscopy, thoraco-centesis and pleural biopsy, either percutaneously or at thoracoscopy. Final diagnoses were based on histopathological or cytological analysis (n = 30), autopsy findings (n = 3) or clinical follow-up (n = 7). The pleural surfaces were classified at contrast-enhanced CT as normal or abnormal and, if abnormal, as benign or malignant in appearance using previously established CT criteria for malignant pleural thickening by two observers unaware of the pathological diagnosis. RESULTS: Pleural effusions were malignant in 32 patients and benign in eight patients. Pleural surfaces assessed at CT showed features of malignancy in 27 out of 32 patients with a malignant effusion (sensitivity 84%, specificity 100%). Overall, CT appearances indicated the presence of malignancy in 28 of 32 (87%) patients. All eight patients with benign pleural disease were correctly diagnosed by CT. CONCLUSION: Contrast-enhanced CT is of value in patients with suspected malignant pleural effusions. The previously established criteria for malignant pleural thickening of nodularity, irregularity and pleural thickness >1 cm are reliable in the presence of a pleural effusion. Traill, Z.C. et al. (2001)

Spatio-Temporal Dynamics in Land Use and Habitat Fragmentation within a Protected Area Dedicated to Tourism in a Sudanian Savanna of West Africa

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Dimobe Kangbéni

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Nazinga Game Ranch (NGR is a reserve in Burkina Faso involving local communities for securing biodiversity through sustainable management. Yet, its ecosystems are threatened by increasing number of elephants and illegal human activities. Renowned as a model of wildlife participatory management, NGR has mainly been studied for its animal wildlife only. The aim of this study was to uncover ecological effects of recent land management on savanna habitats including tourism, and to conclude on more sustainable options, land use/land cover (LULC changes and vegetation dynamics in NGR were analyzed. This was accomplished with multi-temporal change detection using Landsat images of 1984, 2002 and 2013 to map seven representative LULC classification categories, and quantitative indices of landscape metrics. The results showed that the LULC dynamics in NGR from 1984 to 2013 was mainly characterized by an expansion of gallery forest, tree savanna and agricultural area and a reduction of shrub savanna, woodland and bare soils. From 2002 to 2013, fragmentation in all land cover types increased at the landscape level, whereas at the class level, it decreased for woodland. Our findings provided evidence of habitat degradation in NGR, due to extensive agriculture, tourism and growing of elephants’ population. According to the original management goals and the purposes of the reserve, both fauna and tourism are to be maintained and sustained in a sustainable way. Adaptation of land use and targeted wildlife management are the main requirements for avoiding further degradation of vegetation and thus of the existence basis of local inhabitants, animals and tourism.

Isolation and structural identification of a novel minoxidil analogue in an illegal dietary supplement: triaminodil.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ji Hyun; Park, Han Na; Park, Hyoung Joon; Kim, Nam Sook; Park, Sung-Kwan; Lee, Jongkook; Baek, Sun Young

2018-01-01

A new minoxidil analogue was detected in an illegal dietary supplement advertised as a hair-growth treatment. The analogue was identified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HR-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The compound was structurally elucidated as a minoxidil analogue in which the piperidinyl group of minoxidil was replaced with a pyrrolidinyl group corresponding to a molecular formula of C 8 H 13 N 5 O. The new analogue has been named triaminodil. As this is the first report of the compound, there are no chemical, toxicology or pharmacological data available.

Investigation of enhanced cross-city transport and trapping of air pollutants by coastal and urban land-sea breeze circulations

Science.gov (United States)

Lo, Jeff C. F.; Lau, Alexis K. H.; Fung, Jimmy C. H.; Chen, Fei

2006-07-01

Recent satellite observations show that a layer of haze perpetually hangs over the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region and surface observations show numerous violations of the Hong Kong Air Quality Objective. This layer of haze mostly concentrates in the Pearl River Estuary and a narrow (20 km wide) band along the shoreline, in particular during weak wind situations. Although researchers suspect the land-sea breeze (LSB) circulations "concentrate" or "trap" various pollutants in this region, the physical mechanism of the phenomenon has never been fully explained or quantified. In this paper, a mesoscale atmospheric model (MM5) coupled with the Noah land surface model (LSM), which has bulk urban land use treatments along with a detailed Pearl River Delta land use map, is used to investigate the unique feature and mechanism of this land-sea breeze effect and the temporal evolution. A three-dimensional particle trajectory model is used to understand its associated pollutant transport, trapping and accumulation. A conceptual model is then developed for the perpetual air pollution phenomenon in the region. Further sensitivity experiments are used to illustrate the impact of urbanization and large-scale winds on the pollution processes. Results show that urbanization enhances the pollutant trapping and therefore contributes to the overall poor air quality in the region.

Urban Land Use by Illegal Armed Groups in Medellin

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-17

5 de diciembre de 1919,: Se funda SCADTA‖ in Planeta , 50 días que cambiaron la historia de Colombia (Bogotá: Planeta , 2004), pp. 163-166...Medellín (We were not born to (sow) seeds: the culture of youth bands in Medellín) (Bogotá: Planeta , 2002); Also well-known and dealing directly with

Cholescintigraphy and ultrasonography in patients suspected of having acute cholecystitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauritsen, K B; Sommer, W; Hahn, L

1988-01-01

The diagnostic power of combined cholescintigraphy and ultrasonography was tested in 67 patients suspected of having acute cholecystitis; of these, 42 (63%) had acute cholecystitis. The predictive value of a positive scintigraphy (PVpos) was 95% and that of a negative (PVneg) was 91% (n = 67......). The PVpos and PVneg of ultrasonography were 89% and 75%, respectively (n = 54), and these values did not achieve statistical significance when compared with those for scintigraphy. Inconclusive tests were 10% and 11%, respectively, but in no patient were both scintigraphy and ultrasonography inconclusive...... that in patients suspected of having acute cholecystitis cholescintigraphy should be the first diagnostic procedure performed. If the scintigraphy is positive, additional ultrasonographic detection of gallstones makes the diagnosis almost certain. If one diagnostic modality is inconclusive, the other makes a fair...

The role of bone scintigraphy in the evaluation of the suspected abused child

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sty, J.R.; Starshak, R.J.

1983-01-01

A comparison was made of the radiographic and scintigraphic skeletal surveys of 261 children who were suspected victims of abuse. Radiography was positive in 105 children and produced false-negative results in 32; scintigraphy was positive in 120 children and produced false-negative results in two. Although radiography has traditionally been used to assess the skeletal injuries of battered children, the authors conclude that scintigraphy should be the screening procedure of choice for children suspected of having been abused

PENINDAKAN ILLEGAL FISHING DAN PERJANJIAN BILATERAL BIDANG PERIKANAN DENGAN NEGARA TETANGGA

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Ms. Koesrianti

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Indonesia is the biggest maritim state in the world as two third of its area are ocean. In order to maximized its fisheries products, Indonesia has some policies regarding to the management of its waters, including eradicating illegal logging and reforming bilateral agreements with some neighbor countries. This policies, however, appear to be not yet optimal. The government in 1985 has ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982 with the Act 17/1985. However, up to now, Indonesia has not ratified yet the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement 1995 and the 1993 Compliance Agreement as the continued arrangements of UNCLOS 1982. Indonesia should conduct such ratification in order to optimize the Indonesian fisheries industry in which its natural resources, whether living or non-living can be explored and exploited. This is crucial as fisheries industries can provide fish stock as alternative healthy food for the people in Indonesia.

Exome Sequencing in Suspected Monogenic Dyslipidemias

Science.gov (United States)

Stitziel, Nathan O.; Peloso, Gina M.; Abifadel, Marianne; Cefalu, Angelo B.; Fouchier, Sigrid; Motazacker, M. Mahdi; Tada, Hayato; Larach, Daniel B.; Awan, Zuhier; Haller, Jorge F.; Pullinger, Clive R.; Varret, Mathilde; Rabès, Jean-Pierre; Noto, Davide; Tarugi, Patrizia; Kawashiri, Masa-aki; Nohara, Atsushi; Yamagishi, Masakazu; Risman, Marjorie; Deo, Rahul; Ruel, Isabelle; Shendure, Jay; Nickerson, Deborah A.; Wilson, James G.; Rich, Stephen S.; Gupta, Namrata; Farlow, Deborah N.; Neale, Benjamin M.; Daly, Mark J.; Kane, John P.; Freeman, Mason W.; Genest, Jacques; Rader, Daniel J.; Mabuchi, Hiroshi; Kastelein, John J.P.; Hovingh, G. Kees; Averna, Maurizio R.; Gabriel, Stacey; Boileau, Catherine; Kathiresan, Sekar

2015-01-01

Background Exome sequencing is a promising tool for gene mapping in Mendelian disorders. We utilized this technique in an attempt to identify novel genes underlying monogenic dyslipidemias. Methods and Results We performed exome sequencing on 213 selected family members from 41 kindreds with suspected Mendelian inheritance of extreme levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (after candidate gene sequencing excluded known genetic causes for high LDL cholesterol families) or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. We used standard analytic approaches to identify candidate variants and also assigned a polygenic score to each individual in order to account for their burden of common genetic variants known to influence lipid levels. In nine families, we identified likely pathogenic variants in known lipid genes (ABCA1, APOB, APOE, LDLR, LIPA, and PCSK9); however, we were unable to identify obvious genetic etiologies in the remaining 32 families despite follow-up analyses. We identified three factors that limited novel gene discovery: (1) imperfect sequencing coverage across the exome hid potentially causal variants; (2) large numbers of shared rare alleles within families obfuscated causal variant identification; and (3) individuals from 15% of families carried a significant burden of common lipid-related alleles, suggesting complex inheritance can masquerade as monogenic disease. Conclusions We identified the genetic basis of disease in nine of 41 families; however, none of these represented novel gene discoveries. Our results highlight the promise and limitations of exome sequencing as a discovery technique in suspected monogenic dyslipidemias. Considering the confounders identified may inform the design of future exome sequencing studies. PMID:25632026

Small-bowel capsule endoscopy in patients with suspected Crohn's disease-diagnostic value and complications.

Science.gov (United States)

Figueiredo, Pedro; Almeida, Nuno; Lopes, Sandra; Duque, Gabriela; Freire, Paulo; Lérias, Clotilde; Gouveia, Hermano; Sofia, Carlos

2010-01-01

The aim of this work was to assess the value of capsule enteroscopy in the diagnosis of patients with suspected Crohn's Disease (CD). Methods. This was a retrospective study in a single tertiary care centre involving patients undergoing capsule enteroscopy for suspected CD. Patients taking nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs during the thirty preceding days or with a follow-up period of less than six months were excluded. Results. Seventy eight patients were included. The endoscopic findings included mucosal breaks in 50%, ulcerated stenosis in 5%, and villous atrophy in 4%. The diagnosis of CD was established in 31 patients. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of the endoscopic findings were 93%, 80%, 77%, and 94%, respectively. Capsule retention occurred in four patients (5%). The presence of ulcerated stenosis was significantly more frequent in patients with positive inflammatory markers. The diagnostic yield of capsule enteroscopy in patients with negative ileoscopy was 56%, with a diagnostic acuity of 93%. Small bowel capsule endoscopy is a safe and valid technique for assessing patients with suspected CD. Capsule retention is more frequent in patients with positive inflammatory markers. Patients with negative ileoscopy and suspected CD should be submitted to capsule enteroscopy.

Use of diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy and HPLC-UV-SPE-NMR to identify undeclared synthetic drugs in medicines illegally sold as phytotherapies.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Lorena M A; Filho, Elenilson G A; Thomasi, Sérgio S; Silva, Bianca F; Ferreira, Antonio G; Venâncio, Tiago

2013-09-01

The informal (and/or illegal) e-commerce of pharmaceutical formulations causes problems that governmental health agencies find hard to control, one of which concerns formulas sold as natural products. The purpose of this work was to explore the advantages and limitations of DOSY and HPLC-UV-SPE-NMR. These techniques were used to identify the components of a formula illegally marketed in Brazil as an herbal medicine possessing anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. DOSY was able to detect the major components present at higher concentrations. Complete characterization was achieved using HPLC-UV-SPE-NMR, and 1D and 2D NMR analyses enabled the identification of known synthetic drugs. These were ranitidine and a mixture of orphenadrine citrate, piroxicam, and dexamethasone, which are co-formulated in a remedy called Rheumazim that is used to relieve severe pain, but it is prohibited in Brazil because of a lack of sufficient pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic information. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Epidemiological and entomological studies of a malaria outbreak among French armed forces deployed at illegal gold mining sites reveal new aspects of the disease's transmission in French Guiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Pommier de Santi, Vincent; Girod, Romain; Mura, Marie; Dia, Aissata; Briolant, Sébastien; Djossou, Félix; Dusfour, Isabelle; Mendibil, Alexandre; Simon, Fabrice; Deparis, Xavier; Pagès, Frédéric

2016-01-22

In December 2010, a Plasmodium vivax malaria outbreak occurred among French forces involved in a mission to control illegal gold mining in French Guiana. The findings of epidemiological and entomological investigations conducted after this outbreak are presented here. Data related to malaria cases reported to the French armed forces epidemiological surveillance system were collected during the epidemic period from December 2010 to April 2011. A retrospective cohort study was conducted to identify presumed contamination sites. Anopheles mosquitoes were sampled at the identified sites using Mosquito Magnet and CDC light traps. Specimens were identified morphologically and confirmed using molecular methods (sequencing of ITS2 gene and/or barcoding). Anopheles infections with Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax were tested by both enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and real-time PCR. Seventy-two P. vivax malaria cases were reported (three were mixed P. falciparum/P. vivax infections), leading to a global attack rate of 26.5% (72/272). Lack of compliance with vector control measures and doxycycline chemoprophylaxis was reported by patients. Two illegal gold mining sites located in remote areas in the primary forest were identified as places of contamination. In all, 595 Anopheles females were caught and 528 specimens were formally identified: 305 Anopheles darlingi, 145 Anopheles nuneztovari s.l., 63 Anopheles marajoara and 15 Anopheles triannulatus s.l. Three An. darlingi were infected by P. falciparum (infection rate: 1.1%) and four An. marajoara by P. vivax (infection rate: 6.4%). The main drivers of the outbreak were the lack of adherence by military personnel to malaria prevention measures and the high level of malaria transmission at illegal gold mining sites. Anopheles marajoara was clearly implicated in malaria transmission for the first time in French Guiana. The high infection rates observed confirm that illegal gold mining sites must be considered as high level

Impacto ambiental por desmatamento e soterramento na Mata Atlântica: um estudo de caso no entorno da Região Metropolitana de São Paulo (RMSP

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Ivo Arnaldo Valentini

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to provide a discussion of the impact caused by illegal logging of trees in remaining forest land in the Metropolitan Region of Sao Paulo (MRSP, as well as the consequences of illegal landfills in a native forest area. For this purpose, data were obtained from the Engineering Center of the Institute of Criminology of the State of Sao Paulo, and implications of the deforestation of native forests were discussed. The results show the total area devastated and the number of felled specimens in each case, as a result of the urban population´s need to expand through illegal land appropriation. Several factors may contribute to environmental change, including the lack of public policies aimed at monitoring the natural environment. One of the main consequences of these impacts may be the alteration of local biodiversity, with possible future modifications of the landscape.

PMS2 Involvement in Patients Suspected of Lynch Syndrome

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Niessen, Renee C.; Kleibeuker, Jan H.; Westers, Helga; Jager, Paul O. J.; Rozeveld, Dennie; Bos, Krista K.; Boersma-van Ek, Wytske; Hollema, Harry; Sijmons, Rolf H.; Hofstra, Robert M. W.

It is well-established that germline mutations in the mismatch repair genes MLH1, MSH2, and MSH6 cause Lynch syndrome. However, mutations in these three genes do not account for all Lynch syndrome (suspected) families. Recently, it was shown that germline mutations in another mismatch repair gene,

Police reports of mock suspect interrogations: A test of accuracy and perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Kassin, Saul M; Kukucka, Jeff; Lawson, Victoria Z; DeCarlo, John

2017-06-01

A 2-phased experiment assessed the accuracy and completeness of police reports on mock interrogations and their effects on people's perceptions. In Phase 1, 16 experienced officers investigated a mock crime scene, interrogated 2 innocent suspects-1 described by the experimenter as more suspicious than the other-and filed an incident report. All 32 sessions were covertly recorded; the recordings were later used to assess the reports. In Phase 2, 96 lay participants were presented with a brief summary of the case and then either read 1 police report, read 1 verbatim interrogation transcript, or listened to an audiotape of a session. Results showed that (a) Police and suspects diverged in their perceptions of the interrogations; (b) Police committed frequent errors of omission in their reports, understating their use of confrontation, maximization, leniency, and false evidence; and (c) Phase 2 participants who read a police report, compared to those who read a verbatim transcript, perceived the process as less pressure-filled and were more likely to misjudge suspects as guilty. These findings are limited by the brevity and low-stakes nature of the task and by the fact that no significant effects were obtained for our suspicion manipulation, suggesting a need for more research. Limitations notwithstanding, this study adds to a growing empirical literature indicating the need for a requirement that all suspect interrogations be electronically recorded. To provide a more objective and accurate account of what transpired, this study also suggests the benefit of producing verbatim transcripts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Land values and planning: a common interest of land policy and land taxation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lichfield, N

1979-06-01

This paper focuses on a relatively neglected area of land policy: the relation between land use and land value as influenced by land-use planning. It discusses the need for and nature of land-use planning, the relationship of planning and land value, the compensation-betterment problem, and some particular issues of current relevance. It concludes that there is a need to ensure that valuation officers and planners complement each other in their respective tasks rather than undermine each other as happens when they do not understand the interaction of land values and planning.

Investigation of suspected chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Owe, Jone Furlund; Næss, Halvor; Gjerde, Ivar Otto; Bødtker, Jørn Eilert; Tysnes, Ole-Bjørn

2016-02-09

Chronic fatigue is a frequently occurring problem in both the primary and specialist health services. The Department of Neurology at Haukeland University Hospital has established a standard assessment for patients referred with suspected CFS/ME. This study reports diagnoses and findings upon assessment, and considers the benefit of supplementary examinations. Diagnoses and findings from examinations of 365 patients assessed for suspected CFS/ME are retrospectively reported. A total of 48 patients (13.2%) were diagnosed with CFS/ME, while a further 18 patients (4.9%) were diagnosed with post-infectious fatigue. Mental and behavioural disorders were diagnosed in 169 patients (46.3%), and these represented by far the largest group. Serious, but unrecognised somatic illness was discovered in two patients, while changes of uncertain significance were identified by MRI and lumbar puncture in a few patients. Fatigue is a frequently occurring symptom in the population. Thorough somatic and psychiatric investigation is necessary before referral to the specialist health services. Mental disorders and reactions to life crises are common and important differential diagnoses for CFS/ME. Long waiting times in the specialist health services may result in delayed diagnosis for these patients.

Association between QRS duration on prehospital ECG and mortality in patients with suspected STEMI

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Rikke; Frydland, Martin; Møller-Helgestad, Ole Kristian

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: QRS duration has previously shown association with mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with thrombolytics, less is known in patients with suspected ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) when assessing QRS duration on prehospital ECG. Thus......, the objective was to investigate the prognostic effect of QRS duration on prehospital ECG and presence of classic left and right bundle branch block (LBBB/RBBB) for all-cause mortality in patients with suspected STEMI. METHOD: In total 2105 consecutive patients (mean age 64±13years, 72% men) with suspected...... STEMI were prospectively included. QRS duration was registered from automated QRS measurement on prehospital ECG and patients were divided according to quartiles of QRS duration (111ms). Primary endpoint was all-cause 30-day mortality. Predictors of all-cause mortality were...

Evaluation of suspected physical abuse in children: a 500-case study

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Marcos Picini

Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the epidemiological profile of patients with suspected physical abuse, especially regarding the occurrence of fractures, treated in a referral hospital. METHODS: The authors reviewed all reports of suspected abuse against children and adolescents (AACA in this hospital from January 2005 to December 2015. They were assessed and separated by month and year. The characteristics of the victims of physical abuse with occurrence of fractures were studied. The features of the fractures were evaluated in those patients with available radiographs. RESULTS: Of the 3125 notifications, 500 were classified as physical injuries; of these, 63 had fractures. An annual progressive increase in notifications was observed. As for age group, 50 patients (80.6% were up to three years old and 36 (58% up to one year. Most were male (60% and the likely aggressors were mother alone and both parents (27.5% each. In 30 patients with available images, fractures of long bones (femur, tibia, and humerus predominated (71%, as well as a single fracture line (74%, diaphyseal location (73%, and a transverse line (57%. There were two deaths in fracture cases (3%. CONCLUSION: All orthopedists should be alert to suspected AACA in children with trauma below the age of three, even without classic signs of abuse.

Estrategias políticas para el tratamiento de las drogas ilegales en Colombia / Political Strategies for Treating Illegal Drugs in Colombia

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ebastián Quintero

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Para la década del noventa, la institucionalidad en Colombia se encontraba vulnerada frente a grandes carteles que traficaban y comercializaban con narcóticos. Fue en este contexto en el cual surgió el Plan Colombia, estrategia para recuperar la institucionalidad, reducir los cultivos ilícitos de coca y amapola, debilitar la economía de los grupos ilegales insurgentes, y finalmente recuperar la confianza inversionista. Hoy 13 años después de implementado el Plan, los cultivos ilícitos han tenido una disminución pero persisten, el tráfico y el comercio de psicoactivos han mutado y el consumo se ha incrementado, por lo tanto se cuenta con una necesidad social manifiesta por abordajes que realmente procuren un desarrollo sostenible y que den respuesta a una demanda comunitaria por acciones que procuren la prevención, la atención, el tratamiento y la rehabilitación de las personas, con servicios de salud adecuados. During the 1990's, institutionality in Colombia was negatively affected by large drug-dealing cartels. It was in this context where the Plan Colombia was born. This plan was a strategy to recover institutionality, reduce illegal coca and poppy plantations, weaken the economy of illegal insurgent groups, and restore investor confidence. Today, 13 years after the implementation of the Plan, the amount of illegal plantations has decreased. However they are still present, the traffic and trade of psychoactive substances have evolved, and consumption has increased. Therefore, there is now an evident societal need for strategies which address these issues that truly lead to sustainable development. Likewise, the community requires actions aimed at preventing this issue and promoting the care, treatment, and rehabilitation of those affected by this reality while providing adequate healthcare service

Contribution of co-registered PET/CT for patients with suspected recurrence of colo-rectal cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garin, E.; Devillers, A.; Prigent, F.; Girault, S.; Herry, J.Y.; Bourguet, P.; Bouriel, C.; Boudjema, K.; Campion, J.P.; Meunier, B.; Boucher, E.; Raoul, J.L.

2003-01-01

Positron emission tomography using 18 F fluorodeoxyglucose (PET) has proved to offer advantages for patients presenting with suspected recurrence of colo-rectal cancer. However; this examination is confronted with two disadvantages: the lack of anatomical reference marks and the presence of physiological uptake that can be difficult to locate. We carried out a retrospective study on 30 patients with suspected recurrence of Colo-rectal cancer in order to evaluate the diagnostic and therapeutic impact of PET/CT fusion images compared with PET alone. PET/CT acquisitions were performed on a prototype Positrace or on a double-detection head gamma camera in coincidence Hawkeye. PET/CT fusion images had a formal diagnostic impact for 6 patients out of 30 (20%), including 5 patients out of 12 (41%) having a suspected pelvic recurrence. In five cases, it allowed us to resolve ambiguities about whether the site of recurrence was located in the bone or the soft tissues. Furthermore, in one case we were able to locate an intra-abdominal uptake focus at the level of the liver. The PET/CT fusion images had a probable diagnostic impact for three additional patients. For two patients, the PET/CT fusion images allowed us to identify an ambiguous uptake focus as being related to physiological renal uptake. For 4 patients out of 30 (13%), the PET/CT fusion images had a clear additional therapeutic impact, including 4/12 (33%) for whom a pelvic recurrence could be suspected. The present study shows that PET/CT fusion images have an important diagnostic and therapeutic impact for patients with suspected recurrence of colorectal cancer; the impact becoming major for the subgroup of patients having a suspected pelvic recurrence. (author)

Vanishing Species: The Planet in Crisis

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

IAS Admin

world. The living world today in essence is a reflection of the past .... of the pathogen is still sketchy, but it is suspected that they may produce toxin or affect the passage of moisture .... The illegal trade of .... could lead to the collapse of the economies of many societies and ... erty that can be integrated into agricultural crops.

Determination of neuronal antibodies in suspected and definite Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Grau-Rivera, Oriol; Sánchez-Valle, Raquel; Saiz, Albert; Molinuevo, José Luis; Bernabé, Reyes; Munteis, Elvira; Pujadas, Francesc; Salvador, Antoni; Saura, Júlia; Ugarte, Antonio; Titulaer, Maarten; Dalmau, Josep; Graus, Francesc

2014-01-01

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and autoimmune encephalitis with antibodies against neuronal surface antigens (NSA-abs) may present with similar clinical features. Establishing the correct diagnosis has practical implications in the management of care for these patients. To determine the frequency of NSA-abs in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with suspected CJD and in patients with pathologically confirmed (ie, definite) CJD. A mixed prospective (suspected) and retrospective (definite) CJD cohort study was conducted in a reference center for detection of NSA-abs. The population included 346 patients with suspected CJD and 49 patients with definite CJD. Analysis of NSA-abs in cerebrospinal fluid with brain immunohistochemistry optimized for cell-surface antigens was performed. Positive cases in the suspected CJD group were further studied for antigen specificity using cell-based assays. All definite CJD cases were comprehensively tested for NSA-abs, with cell-based assays used for leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1), contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2), N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA), and glycine (GlY) receptors. Neuronal surface antigens were detected in 6 of 346 patients (1.7%) with rapid neurologic deterioration suggestive of CJD. None of these 6 patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for probable or possible CJD. The target antigens included CASPR2, LGI1, NMDAR, aquaporin 4, Tr (DNER [δ/notch-like epidermal growth factor-related receptor]), and an unknown protein. Four of the patients developed rapidly progressive dementia, and the other 2 patients had cerebellar ataxia or seizures that were initially considered to be myoclonus without cognitive decline. The patient with Tr-abs had a positive 14-3-3 test result. Small cell lung carcinoma was diagnosed in the patient with antibodies against an unknown antigen. All patients improved or stabilized after appropriate treatment. None of the 49 patients with definite CJD had NSA-abs. A low, but

Independent oversight review of the Department of Energy Quality Assurance Program for suspect/counterfeit parts. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-05-01

To address the potential threat that suspect/counterfeit parts could pose to DOE workers and the public, the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oversight initiated a number of activities beginning in mid-1995. Oversight placed increased emphasis on the field's quality assurance-suspect/counterfeit parts programs during safety management evaluations, in keeping with the Office of Environment, Safety and Health (EH) oversight responsibilities, which include oversight of the Department's quality assurance (QA) programs. In addition, Oversight reviewed relevant policy documents and occurrence reports to determine the nature and magnitude of the problem within the Department. The results of that review, contained in an Office of Oversight report, Independent Oversight Analysis of Suspect/Counterfeit Parts Within the Department of Energy (November 1995), indicate a lack of consistency and comprehensiveness in the Department's QA-suspect/counterfeit parts program. A detailed analysis of the causes and impacts of the problem was recommended. In response, this review was initiated to determine the effectiveness of the Department's QA program for suspect/counterfeit parts. This study goes beyond merely assessing and reporting the status of the program, however. It is the authors intention to highlight the complex issues associated with suspect/counterfeit parts in the Department today and to present approaches that DOE managers might consider to address these issues

Independent oversight review of the Department of Energy Quality Assurance Program for suspect/counterfeit parts. Revision 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-05-01

To address the potential threat that suspect/counterfeit parts could pose to DOE workers and the public, the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oversight initiated a number of activities beginning in mid-1995. Oversight placed increased emphasis on the field`s quality assurance-suspect/counterfeit parts programs during safety management evaluations, in keeping with the Office of Environment, Safety and Health (EH) oversight responsibilities, which include oversight of the Department`s quality assurance (QA) programs. In addition, Oversight reviewed relevant policy documents and occurrence reports to determine the nature and magnitude of the problem within the Department. The results of that review, contained in an Office of Oversight report, Independent Oversight Analysis of Suspect/Counterfeit Parts Within the Department of Energy (November 1995), indicate a lack of consistency and comprehensiveness in the Department`s QA-suspect/counterfeit parts program. A detailed analysis of the causes and impacts of the problem was recommended. In response, this review was initiated to determine the effectiveness of the Department`s QA program for suspect/counterfeit parts. This study goes beyond merely assessing and reporting the status of the program, however. It is the authors intention to highlight the complex issues associated with suspect/counterfeit parts in the Department today and to present approaches that DOE managers might consider to address these issues.

Interdisciplinary action of nurses to children with suspected sexual abuse

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Lia Leão Ciuffo

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Objective. Understanding the role of nurses as members of interdisciplinary teams in the care of children with suspected sexual abuse. Methodology. This is a qualitative research based on the sociological phenomenology of Alfred Schutz. In 2008 were interviewed eleven nurses who worked in reference institutions for the care of child victims of sexual abuse in Rio de Janeiro. Results. The category called 'Interacting with other professionals in child care' emerged from the analysis of performance of professionals. The intersubjective relations between the nurses and the interdisciplinary team will enable to understand the intent of care from the perspective of social, emotional and psychological needs of children and their families. Conclusion. Interdisciplinarity favored the development of actions based on acceptance, listening and agreements on possible solutions in the care of children with suspected sexual abuse.

MRI for clinically suspected pediatric appendicitis: case interpretation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, Michael M.; Brian, James M.; Methratta, Sosamma T.; Hulse, Michael A.; Choudhary, Arabinda K.; Eggli, Kathleen D.; Boal, Danielle K.B.

2014-01-01

As utilization of MRI for clinically suspected pediatric appendicitis becomes more common, there will be increased focus on case interpretation. The purpose of this pictorial essay is to share our institution's case interpretation experience. MRI findings of appendicitis include appendicoliths, tip appendicitis, intraluminal fluid-debris level, pitfalls of size measurements, and complications including abscesses. The normal appendix and inguinal appendix are also discussed. (orig.)

MRI for clinically suspected pediatric appendicitis: case interpretation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moore, Michael M.; Brian, James M.; Methratta, Sosamma T.; Hulse, Michael A.; Choudhary, Arabinda K.; Eggli, Kathleen D.; Boal, Danielle K.B. [Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Division of Pediatric Radiology, Department of Radiology, Hershey, PA (United States)

2014-05-15

As utilization of MRI for clinically suspected pediatric appendicitis becomes more common, there will be increased focus on case interpretation. The purpose of this pictorial essay is to share our institution's case interpretation experience. MRI findings of appendicitis include appendicoliths, tip appendicitis, intraluminal fluid-debris level, pitfalls of size measurements, and complications including abscesses. The normal appendix and inguinal appendix are also discussed. (orig.)

Seismic hazards and land-use planning

Science.gov (United States)

Nichols, Donald R.; Buchanan-Banks, Jane M.

1974-01-01

Basic earth-science data are necessary for a realistic assessment of seismic hazards and as a basis for limiting corrective land-use controls only to those areas of greatest hazard. For example, the location, character, and amount of likely displacement and activity of surface faulting can be predicted if detailed geologic maps and seismic data are available and are augmented by field studies at critical localities. Because few structures can withstand displacement of their foundations, they should be located off active fault traces, the distance varying with the character of faulting, the certainty with which fault traces are known, and the importance of the structure. Recreational activities and other nonoccupancy land uses should be considered for fault zone areas where land is under pressure for development; elsewhere, such areas should remain as open space. Two methods of predicting ground shaking effects have applications to land-use decisions: (1) Relative earthquake effects can be related to firmness of the ground and can be used in a gross way to allocate population density in the absence of more sophisticated analyses; and (2) intensity maps, based on, (a) damage from former earthquakes, or (b) a qualitative analyses of geologic units added to a design earthquake, can be helpful both for general and specific plans. Theoretical models are used with caution to predict ground motion for critical structures to be located at specific sites with unique foundation conditions. Fully adequate methods of assessing possible shaking remain to be developed. Where land-use decisions do not reflect likely ground shaking effects, stringent building codes are needed, particularly for important structures. Ground failure (landsliding, ground cracking and lurching, differential settlement, sand boils, and subsidence) commonly results from liquefaction, loss of soil strength, or compaction. Areas suspected of being most likely to fail should not be developed unless detailed

Synthetic Cannabinoid and Mitragynine Exposure of Law Enforcement Agents During the Raid of an Illegal Laboratory - Nevada, 2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Tapp, Loren; Ramsey, Jessica G; Wen, Anita; Gerona, Roy

2017-12-01

Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs), commonly known by the street name "Spice," are designer drugs of abuse that mimic the psychoactive effects of marijuana. Intentional SC use has resulted in multiple toxicities (1,2), but little is known about occupational SC exposure. After a federal agency's law enforcement personnel in Nevada reported irritability and feeling "high" after raiding illegal SC laboratories and processing seized SCs, a request for a health hazard evaluation was made by the agency to CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 2014 to evaluate agents' occupational SC exposures. After making the request for a health hazard evaluation, federal agents conducted a raid of an illegal SC laboratory, with assistance from local law enforcement and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) personnel and with NIOSH investigators observing from a distance. After the raid, agents collected and processed material evidence. NIOSH investigators tested agents' urine for SC levels before and after the raid and measured SCs in the air and on surfaces after the raid. DEA determined that AB-PINACA (an SC compound) and mitragynine (a plant material with opium-like effects, also known as "kratom") were present in the illegal laboratory. AB-PINACA, its metabolites, and mitragynine were not detected in agents' urine before the raid; however, one or more of these substances was found in the urine of six of nine agents after the raid and processing of the SC evidence. AB-PINACA was detected in one surface wipe sample from the SC laboratory; none was detected in the air in the laboratory or in the offices of the law enforcement agency where the materials were processed after the raid. No policies were in place regarding work practices and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) during raids and evidence processing. To protect agents from SC exposures, NIOSH recommended that the agency require agents to wear a minimum level of PPE (e.g., protective gloves

The Quantity and Quality of Illegally Imported Products of Animal Origin in Personal Consignments into the European Union Seized at Two German Airports between 2010 And 2014.

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Wiebke Jansen

Full Text Available The import of products of animal origin (POAO in travellers' personal consignments presents a considerable risk of introducing animal diseases and emerging zoonoses into the European Union. The current regulation (EU 206/2009 implements strict measures for illegally imported POAO, whereupon non-complying products have to be seized and destroyed regardless. Especially airports serve as global bottlenecks for illegally imported POAO where passenger controls of non-European flights are performed by customs and veterinary services in collaboration. Results of these control measures have to be submitted in the form of annual reports to the European Commission. However, few data on qualities and quantities of seizures have been published so far. In this study, POAO seized at two German airports between 2010 and 2014 were analysed in terms of quantities, qualitative categories and region of origin. In most years considered, more than 20 tonnes POAO were seized at each airport. However, reported amounts of seizures seem to be only the tip of the iceberg as an all-passenger control is not feasible and therefore travellers are only spot-checked. The analysis suggests that the organisational structures of both customs and official veterinary services and their different risk perceptions interfere in completing an effective ban on the illegal import of POAO.

Illegal gold miners in French Guiana: a neglected population with poor health.

Science.gov (United States)

Douine, Maylis; Mosnier, Emilie; Le Hingrat, Quentin; Charpentier, Charlotte; Corlin, Florine; Hureau, Louise; Adenis, Antoine; Lazrek, Yassamine; Niemetsky, Florence; Aucouturier, Anne-Laure; Demar, Magalie; Musset, Lise; Nacher, Mathieu

2017-07-17

In French Guiana, a French overseas territory in South America, 6 to 10 thousands undocumented persons work illegally in gold mining sites in the Amazonian forest. Precarious life conditions lead to poor health but few data exist on the health status of illegal gold miners in French Guiana. The objective of this article was to describe the sociodemographic and health status of this vulnerable population. A prospective cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2015 on gold mine supply sites at the border between French Guiana and Suriname. Health status was assessed through medical examination, past medical history, haemoglobin concentration, and HIV and malaria testing. A questionnaire was used to collect data about the migration itinerary and life conditions on mining sites. Among the 421 adults included in the study, 93.8% (395/421) were Brazilian, mainly from Maranhão (55.7%, 220/395), the poorest Brazilian state. The sex ratio was 2.4. Overall, 48% of persons never went to school or beyond the primary level. The median time spent in gold mining was quite long (10 years), with a high turn-over. One third of the surveyed population (37.1%, 156/421) had high blood pressure, and only two had a medical follow-up. Most persons had experienced malaria (89.3%, 376/421). They declared frequent arboviroses and digestive disorders. Active leishmaniasis was observed in 8.3% of gold miners. Among women, 28.5% were anemic. Concerning HIV, 36.6% (154/421) of persons, mainly men, never got tested before and 6 were tested positive, which represented an HIV prevalence of 1.43% (95%CI =0.29-2.5). These findings support the hypothesis that mining in remote areas is linked to several specific illnesses. Theoretically, gold miners would be presumed to start their economical migration to French Guiana as a healthy group. However, their strenuous working and living conditions there lead to poor health caused by infectious and non infectious diseases. This description of their health

9 CFR 381.74 - Poultry suspected of having biological residues.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Poultry suspected of having biological... OF AGRICULTURE AGENCY ORGANIZATION AND TERMINOLOGY; MANDATORY MEAT AND POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION AND VOLUNTARY INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION REGULATIONS Ante Mortem...

Transitions in Land Use Architecture under Multiple Human Driving Forces in a Semi-Arid Zone

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Issa Ouedraogo

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The present study aimed to detect the main shifts in land-use architecture and assess the factors behind the changes in typical tropical semi-arid land in Burkina Faso. Three sets of time-series LANDSAT data over a 23-year period were used to detect land use changes and their underpinning drivers in multifunctional but vulnerable ecologies. Group discussions in selected villages were organized for mapping output interpretation and collection of essential drivers of change as perceived by local populations. Results revealed profound changes and transitions during the study period. During the last decade, shrub and wood savannahs exhibited high net changes (39% and −37% respectively with a weak net positive change for cropland (only 2%, while cropland and shrub savannah exhibited high swap (8% and 16%. This suggests that the area of cropland remained almost unchanged but was subject to relocation, wood savannah decreased drastically, and shrub savannah increased exponentially. Cropland exhibited a null net persistence while shrub and wood savannahs exhibited positive and negative net persistence (1.91 and −10.24, respectively, indicating that there is movement toward agricultural intensification and wood savannah tended to disappear to the benefit of shrub savannah. Local people are aware of the changes that have occurred and support the idea that illegal wood cutting and farming are inappropriate farming practices associated with immigration; absence of alternative cash generation sources, overgrazing and increasing demand for wood energy are driving the changes in their ecosystems. Policies that integrate restoration and conservation of natural ecosystems and promote sustainable agroforestry practices in the study zone are highly recommended.

Small-Bowel Capsule Endoscopy in Patients with Suspected Crohn's Disease—Diagnostic Value and Complications

Science.gov (United States)

Figueiredo, Pedro; Almeida, Nuno; Lopes, Sandra; Duque, Gabriela; Freire, Paulo; Lérias, Clotilde; Gouveia, Hermano; Sofia, Carlos

2010-01-01

Background. The aim of this work was to assess the value of capsule enteroscopy in the diagnosis of patients with suspected Crohn's Disease (CD). Methods. This was a retrospective study in a single tertiary care centre involving patients undergoing capsule enteroscopy for suspected CD. Patients taking nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs during the thirty preceding days or with a follow-up period of less than six months were excluded. Results. Seventy eight patients were included. The endoscopic findings included mucosal breaks in 50%, ulcerated stenosis in 5%, and villous atrophy in 4%. The diagnosis of CD was established in 31 patients. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of the endoscopic findings were 93%, 80%, 77%, and 94%, respectively. Capsule retention occurred in four patients (5%). The presence of ulcerated stenosis was significantly more frequent in patients with positive inflammatory markers. The diagnostic yield of capsule enteroscopy in patients with negative ileoscopy was 56%, with a diagnostic acuity of 93%. Conclusions. Small bowel capsule endoscopy is a safe and valid technique for assessing patients with suspected CD. Capsule retention is more frequent in patients with positive inflammatory markers. Patients with negative ileoscopy and suspected CD should be submitted to capsule enteroscopy. PMID:20811612

Small-Bowel Capsule Endoscopy in Patients with Suspected Crohn's Disease—Diagnostic Value and Complications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Figueiredo

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Background. The aim of this work was to assess the value of capsule enteroscopy in the diagnosis of patients with suspected Crohn's Disease (CD. Methods. This was a retrospective study in a single tertiary care centre involving patients undergoing capsule enteroscopy for suspected CD. Patients taking nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs during the thirty preceding days or with a follow-up period of less than six months were excluded. Results. Seventy eight patients were included. The endoscopic findings included mucosal breaks in 50%, ulcerated stenosis in 5%, and villous atrophy in 4%. The diagnosis of CD was established in 31 patients. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of the endoscopic findings were 93%, 80%, 77%, and 94%, respectively. Capsule retention occurred in four patients (5%. The presence of ulcerated stenosis was significantly more frequent in patients with positive inflammatory markers. The diagnostic yield of capsule enteroscopy in patients with negative ileoscopy was 56%, with a diagnostic acuity of 93%. Conclusions. Small bowel capsule endoscopy is a safe and valid technique for assessing patients with suspected CD. Capsule retention is more frequent in patients with positive inflammatory markers. Patients with negative ileoscopy and suspected CD should be submitted to capsule enteroscopy.

Improving the diagnostic performance of lung scintigraphy in suspected pulmonary embolic disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gleeson, F.V.; Turner, S.; Scarsbrook, A.F.

2006-01-01

Aim: to determine the effectiveness of a new imaging algorithm in the investigation of suspected pulmonary embolism (PE). Materials and methods: A new imaging algorithm for suspected PE was introduced following the installation of a multisection computed tomography (CT) machine at our institution. Before its installation, patients with suspected PE were evaluated with ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) scintigraphy. Subsequently, patients were triaged according to chest radiography (CR) and respiratory history to either lung scintigraphy or CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA). Patients with a normal CR and no history of lung disease were evaluated using perfusion (Q) scintigraphy [ventilation (V) scintigraphy was no longer performed]. Patients with an abnormal CR, asthma or chronic lung disease were evaluated using CTPA. All V/Q images in a continuous 3-year period before the introduction of the new imaging algorithm and all Q images performed in a 3-year period after its introduction were retrospectively reviewed. Imaging reports were categorized into normal, non-diagnostic (low or intermediate probability) or high probability for PE. Patients in the later group who subsequently underwent CTPA, were also reviewed. Results: After the policy change the percentage of normal scintigrams significantly increased (39 to 60%; p < 0.001). There was a non-significant increase in the percentage of high probability scintigrams (15 to 18%; p = 0.716). Overall the diagnostic yield of lung scintigraphy improved significantly (54 to 78%; p < 0.001). Conclusion: the diagnostic performance of lung scintigraphy can be improved by careful triage of patients to either Q scintigraphy or CTPA based on clinical history and CR findings. Q scintigraphy remains a valuable diagnostic test in the investigation of suspected PE in carefully selected patients

The yield of high-detail radiographic skeletal surveys in suspected infant abuse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barber, Ignasi; Perez-Rossello, Jeannette M.; Kleinman, Paul K.; Wilson, Celeste R.

2015-01-01

Skeletal surveys are routinely performed in cases of suspected child abuse, but there are limited data regarding the yield of high-detail skeletal surveys in infants. To determine the diagnostic yield of high-detail radiographic skeletal surveys in suspected infant abuse. We reviewed the high-detail American College of Radiology standardized skeletal surveys performed for suspected abuse in 567 infants (median: 4.4 months, SD 3.47; range: 4 days-12 months) at a large urban children's hospital between 2005 and 2013. Skeletal survey images, radiology reports and medical records were reviewed. A skeletal survey was considered positive when it showed at least one unsuspected fracture. In 313 of 567 infants (55%), 1,029 definite fractures were found. Twenty-one percent (119/567) of the patients had a positive skeletal survey with a total of 789 (77%) unsuspected fractures. Long-bone fractures were the most common injuries, present in 145 children (26%). The skull was the site of fracture in 138 infants (24%); rib cage in 77 (14%), clavicle in 24 (4.2%) and uncommon fractures (including spine, scapula, hands and feet and pelvis) were noted in 26 infants (4.6%). Of the 425 infants with neuroimaging, 154 (36%) had intracranial injury. No significant correlation between positive skeletal survey and associated intracranial injury was found. Scapular fractures and complex skull fractures showed a statistically significant correlation with intracranial injury (P = 0.029, P = 0.007, respectively). Previously unsuspected fractures are noted on skeletal surveys in 20% of cases of suspected infant abuse. These data may be helpful in the design and optimization of global skeletal imaging in this vulnerable population. (orig.)

The yield of high-detail radiographic skeletal surveys in suspected infant abuse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barber, Ignasi [Hospital Vall d' Hebron, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Pediatric Radiology Department, Barcelona (Spain); Perez-Rossello, Jeannette M.; Kleinman, Paul K. [Boston Children' s Hospital, Radiology Department, Boston, MA (United States); Wilson, Celeste R. [Boston Children' s Hospital, Division of General Pediatrics, Boston, MA (United States)

2014-07-06

Skeletal surveys are routinely performed in cases of suspected child abuse, but there are limited data regarding the yield of high-detail skeletal surveys in infants. To determine the diagnostic yield of high-detail radiographic skeletal surveys in suspected infant abuse. We reviewed the high-detail American College of Radiology standardized skeletal surveys performed for suspected abuse in 567 infants (median: 4.4 months, SD 3.47; range: 4 days-12 months) at a large urban children's hospital between 2005 and 2013. Skeletal survey images, radiology reports and medical records were reviewed. A skeletal survey was considered positive when it showed at least one unsuspected fracture. In 313 of 567 infants (55%), 1,029 definite fractures were found. Twenty-one percent (119/567) of the patients had a positive skeletal survey with a total of 789 (77%) unsuspected fractures. Long-bone fractures were the most common injuries, present in 145 children (26%). The skull was the site of fracture in 138 infants (24%); rib cage in 77 (14%), clavicle in 24 (4.2%) and uncommon fractures (including spine, scapula, hands and feet and pelvis) were noted in 26 infants (4.6%). Of the 425 infants with neuroimaging, 154 (36%) had intracranial injury. No significant correlation between positive skeletal survey and associated intracranial injury was found. Scapular fractures and complex skull fractures showed a statistically significant correlation with intracranial injury (P = 0.029, P = 0.007, respectively). Previously unsuspected fractures are noted on skeletal surveys in 20% of cases of suspected infant abuse. These data may be helpful in the design and optimization of global skeletal imaging in this vulnerable population. (orig.)

INFLUENCE OF ILLEGAL WASTE DUMPING SITES OF NORTH-WEST PART OF BARLINEK COMMUNITY ON HEAVY METALS CONTENT IN SOILS

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Kamil Szydłowski

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The in-depth analysis of the soil samples study included 6 from 17 catalogued illegal waste dumps localized in the Barlinek Commune (Gmina Barlinek area. The samples were taken from the middle part of each waste dump and at 5 meter distance toward north and south directions. In the collected material the pH values and concentration of lead, zinc, cadmium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, chromium, iron, copper and mercury were determined. The results of laboratory analysis were compared with current standards (Regulation of the Minister of Environment from 9th September 2002 on soil quality standards and quality standards of soil - Journal of Laws 2002 No 165, item 1359 and with the soils classification by the content of trace elements, according to Kabata-Pendias et al. The reason of diversified content of heavy metals in the collected soils samples from different waste dumps is various morphological composition of deposited waste. Nonetheless, waste landfilled on illegal dumps were not significantly influencing the levels of soil contamination with heavy metals. The concentration of Hg, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, Fe qualifies those soils to geochemical natural levels of heavy metals content. Nevertheless, cadmium was the element, which concentration were most often (21 times exceeded.

Creating fair lineups for suspects with distinctive features

OpenAIRE

Zarkadi, Theodora; Wade, Kimberley A.; Stewart, Neil

2009-01-01

In their descriptions, eyewitnesses often refer to a culprit's distinctive facial features. However, in a police lineup, selecting the only member with the described distinctive feature is unfair to the suspect and provides the police with little further information. For fair and informative lineups, the distinctive feature should be either replicated across foils or concealed on the target. In the present experiments, replication produced more correct identifications in target-present lineup...

Ensuring Freedoms and Protecting Rights in the Governance of the Internet: A Comparative Analysis on Blocking Measures and Internet Providers’ Removal of Illegal Internet Content

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Katalin Parti

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Removing illegal or harmful material from the internet has been pursued for more than two decades. The advent of Web 2.0, with the prominent increase and diffusion of user-generated content, amplifies the necessity for technical and legal frameworks enabling the removal of illegal material from the network. This study deals with different levels and methods of Internet ‘cleansing’ measures, comparing government regulated and Internet service provider based removals of illegal Internet content. The paper aims at putting the regulatory option of internet blocking measures into the broader perspective of the legal framework regulating the (exemption from liability of Intermediary Service Providers (ISPs for user-generated contents. In addition, the paper suggests proposals on which regulatory options can better ensure the respect of freedoms and the protection of rights. The paper introduces several significant cases of blocking online copyright infringing materials. Copyright related blocking techniques have been devised for business reasons – by copyright holders’ associations. It must be recalled, however, that these blocking actions cannot be enforced without the states’ intervention. These business-level actions become isolated if they are not supported by both the European Union and its Member States. Conversely, state-centred initiatives cannot work out without the private sector’s cooperation. Internet service providers play a crucial role in this cooperative framework because of their task of providing access to the Internet and hosting web contents.

Usefulness of unenhanced helical CT in patients with suspected ureteral colic

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Bong Soo; Nam Kung, Sook; Kim, Heung Cheol; Hwang, Woo Chul; Lee, In Sun; Hwang, Im Kyung; Kim, Ho Chul; Bae, Sang Hoon; Lee, Sang Kon; Lee, Seong Ho [College of Medicine, Hallym Univ., Chunchon (Korea, Republic of)

2002-07-01

To determine the usefulness of unenhanced helical CT in patients with suspected renal colic. One hundred and fourteen patients with suspected ureteral colic, referred by physicians, underwent unenhanced helical CT. Two radiologists prospectively interpreted the results, determining the presence or absence of ureter stone and other diseases the arise outside the urinary tract. In cases of ureteral stone, we retrospectively sought secondary signs of hydronephrosis, perinephric fat stranding, thickening of renal fascia, renal enlargement, and the tissue rim sign. Among the 114 patients, 57 were confirmed as having ureter stones. Unenhanced helical CT depicted 57 of 58 stones in 57 patients, producing one false-negative and one false-positive result. Overall, the results showed 98% sensitivity, 95% specificity, 98% positive predictive value, 95% negative predictive value, and 97% accuracy. The frequencies of secondary signs were as follows: hydronephrosis, 95%(54/57); perinephric fat stranding, 81% (46/57); thickening of renal fascia, 77% (44/57); renal enlargement , 65%(37/57); and the tissure rim sign 72%(21/29). In 20 patients, the diagnoses were not related to stone disease and included one false-negative diagnosis of pyonephrosis. Unenhanced helical CT provides information which is valuable in the accurate diagnosis of ureteral stone as well as other diseases that arise outside the urinary tract in patients with suspected renal colic.

The economics of cardiac biomarker testing in suspected myocardial infarction.

Science.gov (United States)

Goodacre, Steve; Thokala, Praveen

2015-03-01

Suspected myocardial infarction (MI) is a common reason for emergency hospital attendance and admission. Cardiac biomarker measurement is an essential element of diagnostic assessment of suspected MI. Although the cost of a routinely available biomarker may be small, the large patient population and consequences in terms of hospital admission and investigation mean that the economic impact of cardiac biomarker testing is substantial. Economic evaluation involves comparing the estimated costs and effectiveness (outcomes) of two or more interventions or care alternatives. This process creates some difficulties with respect to cardiac biomarkers. Estimating the effectiveness of cardiac biomarkers involves identifying how they help to improve health and how we can measure this improvement. Comparison to an appropriate alternative is also problematic. New biomarkers may be promoted on the basis of reducing hospital admission or length of stay, but hospital admission for low risk patients may incur significant costs while providing very little benefit, making it an inappropriate comparator. Finally, economic evaluation may conclude that a more sensitive biomarker strategy is more effective but, by detecting and treating more cases, is also more expensive. In these circumstances it is unclear whether we should use the more effective or the cheaper option. This article provides an introduction to health economics and addresses the specific issues relevant to cardiac biomarkers. It describes the key concepts relevant to economic evaluation of cardiac biomarkers in suspected MI and highlights key areas of uncertainty and controversy. Copyright © 2014 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How useful is gastroesophageal reflux scintigraphy in suspected childhood aspiration?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fawcett, H.D.; Adams, J.C.; Hayden, C.K.; Swischuk, L.E.

1988-01-01

It has been suggested that gastroesophageal reflux scintigraphy might be useful in assisting one in determining therapy for patients suspected of aspirating or becoming apneic secondary to gastroesophageal reflux. This, however, has not been our experience and in reviewing 23 patients with recurrent pneumonia and/or apnea who had gastroesophageal reflux scintigraphy, we were able to detect aspiration in only one. This was especially significant since 13 (59%) of these patients had demonstrable reflux, and of these, eight were treated successfully for suspected aspiration even though none was demonstrated isotopically. To be sure, the demonstration of pulmonary aspiration with gastroesophageal reflux scintigraphy had little influence on patient selection and response to therapy. For this reason we feel there is little justification in depending on the GRS for the specific purpose of trying to document pulmonary aspiration in infants and children who are refluxing. One of the more serious complications of gastroesophageal (GE) reflux is aspiration leading to recurrent pulmonary infections and/or apnea. However, it always has been difficult to demonstrate actual aspiration into the lungs, and to be sure, barium studies of the upper GI tract seldom reveal this complication. Recently, however, considerable interest has been generated in gastroesophageal scintigraphy (GRS) as a possible means of documenting such aspiration. Rationale for this stems from the fact that suspected patients can be studied over a longer period of time and in addition, delayed and overnight images can be obtained. However, our experience does not support GRS as being an adequate method for demonstrating aspiration. (orig.)

How useful is gastroesophageal reflux scintigraphy in suspected childhood aspiration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fawcett, H.D.; Adams, J.C.; Hayden, C.K.; Swischuk, L.E.

1988-05-01

It has been suggested that gastroesophageal reflux scintigraphy might be useful in assisting one in determining therapy for patients suspected of aspirating or becoming apneic secondary to gastroesophageal reflux. This, however, has not been our experience and in reviewing 23 patients with recurrent pneumonia and/or apnea who had gastroesophageal reflux scintigraphy, we were able to detect aspiration in only one. This was especially significant since 13 (59%) of these patients had demonstrable reflux, and of these, eight were treated successfully for suspected aspiration even though none was demonstrated isotopically. To be sure, the demonstration of pulmonary aspiration with gastroesophageal reflux scintigraphy had little influence on patient selection and response to therapy. For this reason we feel there is little justification in depending on the GRS for the specific purpose of trying to document pulmonary aspiration in infants and children who are refluxing. One of the more serious complications of gastroesophageal (GE) reflux is aspiration leading to recurrent pulmonary infections and/or apnea. However, it always has been difficult to demonstrate actual aspiration into the lungs, and to be sure, barium studies of the upper GI tract seldom reveal this complication. Recently, however, considerable interest has been generated in gastroesophageal scintigraphy (GRS) as a possible means of documenting such aspiration. Rationale for this stems from the fact that suspected patients can be studied over a longer period of time and in addition, delayed and overnight images can be obtained. However, our experience does not support GRS as being an adequate method for demonstrating aspiration.

Land Competition and Land-Use Change:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vongvisouk, Thoumthone

Land competition and land-use changes are taking place in many developing countries as the demand for land increases. These changes are leading to changes in the livelihood conditions of rural people. The Government of Laos (GoL), on the one hand, aims to increase forest protection. On the other...... hand, the government is also working to increase national economic growth by promoting private-sector investment in both agriculture and forest resources – two sectors that compete for the same areas intended for protection. This thesis explores how these contradictory drivers of land-use changes...... software. Quantitative data was compiled in a Microsoft Access database and analyzed in Excel. Land-use and livelihood changes are taking place rapidly in the study sites. Overall, land-use change underwent transformation away from subsistence shifting cultivation to cash crops, intensive agriculture...

Lineup Composition, Suspect Position, and the Sequential Lineup Advantage

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, Curt A.; Gronlund, Scott D.; Clark, Steven E.

2008-01-01

N. M. Steblay, J. Dysart, S. Fulero, and R. C. L. Lindsay (2001) argued that sequential lineups reduce the likelihood of mistaken eyewitness identification. Experiment 1 replicated the design of R. C. L. Lindsay and G. L. Wells (1985), the first study to show the sequential lineup advantage. However, the innocent suspect was chosen at a lower rate…

Perceptions of fishers to sea turtle bycatch, illegal capture and consumption in the San Ignacio-Navachiste-Macapule lagoon complex, Gulf of California, Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Aguilar-González, Myrna E; Luna-González, Antonio; Aguirre, Alonso; Zavala-Norzagaray, Alan A; Mundo-Ocampo, Manuel; González-Ocampo, Héctor A

2014-01-01

In this study, 10% of all registered fishermen in the coastal towns of Navachiste in Sinaloa, in northwestern Mexico, answered a survey designed to collect data on their perceptions of the following topics: the impact of turtle meat consumption; human health; bycatch; illegal turtle fishing; the illegal sea turtle market; the local economy; pollution; environmental education; the success of protective legislation; and sea turtle-based ecotourism. Perceptions were analyzed using the fuzzy logic method through classification into 5 fuzzy membership sets: VL, very low; L, low; M, moderate; H, high; VH, very high. The 9 topics generated decision areas upon applying fuzzy inference that revealed the membership level of the answers in each fuzzy set. The economic potential of sea turtle-based ecotourism and the economic profitability of the illegal turtle meat market were perceived as VL. Conservation legislation was perceived as H, although inefficiently applied due to corruption. Ecotourism and impacts on sea turtles were perceived as VL, because they were deemed unprofitable activities at the individual and community levels. Environmental education was perceived as L, because it centers on nesting, hatching and releasing turtles and is directed at elementary and middle-school students. While fishers perceive a serious negative impact of fishing activities on sea turtles in the San Ignacio-Navachiste-Macapule area, they do not see themselves individually as part of the problem. Achieving sea turtle conservation in this region requires: suitable ecotourism infrastructure, government investments in promotion, and studies to estimate the minimum number of tourists needed to assure profitability. © 2012 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd, ISZS and IOZ/CAS.

Climate change, land use and land surveyors

OpenAIRE

van der Molen, P.; Mitchell, D.

2016-01-01

Research reveals that the land sector is a major emitter of greenhouse gases. But the land sector has also potential to reduce emissions. Different from other emission sectors like energy and transport, the land sector (in particular the rural area including forests) has the potential to also remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere through sequestration and storage. This requires land use, land use change and forestry to be managed with respect to climate change goals. Carbon storage has ...

Interviewing strategically to elicit admissions from guilty suspects

OpenAIRE

Tekin, Serra; Granhag, Pär Anders; Strömwall, Leif; Giolla, Erik Mac; Vrij, Aldert; Hartwig, Maria

2015-01-01

In this article we introduce a novel interviewing tactic to elicit admissions from guilty suspects. By influencing the suspects’ perception of the amount of evidence the interviewer holds against them, we aimed to shift the suspects’ counterinterrogation strategies from less to more forthcoming. The proposed tactic (SUE-Confrontation) is a development of the Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) framework and aims to affect the suspects’ perception by confronting them with statement-evidence incons...

Wild Carpathia Future Development: From Illegal Deforestation to ORV Sustainable Recreation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihai Voda

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Romanian Wild Carpathia constitutes the ultimate pristine wilderness of the old European continent. Carpathian Mountains landscape experiences and outdoor recreation represents quite unique cultural ecosystem services. The new annotations to the Forest Law are restricting any public access in the woods without authorities’ pre-approval for organised sport, leisure and tourism activities. However, off road vehicle (ORV recreation is a popular activity and a growing transparency concern of National Forest Administration Authorities that is not managed accordingly. Here we show that our ORV recreation frame model can securely allow public access and protect all Romanian mountains. Our results demonstrate how growing ORV recreation popularity can be used in an honest and open way if it is well organized and controlled. We anticipate our assay to be a starting point for a regional and national forest administration sustainable development plan. Furthermore, stopping illegal forest activities is a major target of the anti-logging movement. A well-defined assay for the ORV recreation frame model will be relevant for such developments.

Cortical capillary dysfunction in patients suspected of Alzheimer’s disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eskildsen, Simon Fristed; Gyldensted, Louise; Nagenthiraja, Kartheeban

Vascular risk factors are suspected to play a role in the etiology of Alzheimer’s disease. Recently, a model that relates capillary dysfunction to the development of AD was proposed[1]. The model predicts that capillary dysfunction in form of increased capillary transit time heterogeneity (CTH...

Cognitive Linguistic Performances of Multilingual University Students Suspected of Dyslexia

Science.gov (United States)

Lindgren, Signe-Anita; Laine, Matti

2011-01-01

High-performing adults with compensated dyslexia pose particular challenges to dyslexia diagnostics. We compared the performance of 20 multilingual Finnish university students with suspected dyslexia with 20 age-matched and education-matched controls on an extensive test battery. The battery tapped various aspects of reading, writing, word…

Genotype-phenotype correlation in patients suspected of having Sotos syndrome

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Boer, Lonneke; Kant, Sarina G.; Karperien, Marcel; van Beers, Lotte; Tjon, Jennifer; Vink, Geraldine R.; van Tol, Dewy; Dauwerse, Hans; le Cessie, Saskia; Beemer, Frits A.; van der Burgt, Ineke; Hamel, Ben C. J.; Hennekam, Raoul C.; Kuhnle, Ursula; Mathijssen, Inge B.; Veenstra-Knol, Hermine E.; Stumpel, Connie T. Schrander; Breuning, Martijn H.; Wit, Jan M.

2004-01-01

Background: Deletions and mutations in the NSD1 gene are the major cause of Sotos syndrome. We wanted to evaluate the genotype-phenotype correlation in patients suspected of having Sotos syndrome and determine the best discriminating parameters for the presence of a NSD1 gene alteration. Methods:

Genotype-phenotype correlation in patients suspected of having sotos syndrome.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boer, L. de; Kant, S.; Karperien, M.; Beers, L. van; Tjon, J.; Vink, G.R.; Tol, D. van; Dauwerse, H.G.; Cessie, S. le; Beemer, F.A.; Burgt, C.J.A.M. van der; Hamel, B.C.J.; Hennekam, R.C.M.; Kuhnle, U.; Mathijssen, I.B.; Veenstra-Knol, H.E.; Stumpel, C.T.; Breuning, M.H.; Wit, J.M.

2004-01-01

BACKGROUND: Deletions and mutations in the NSD1 gene are the major cause of Sotos syndrome. We wanted to evaluate the genotype-phenotype correlation in patients suspected of having Sotos syndrome and determine the best discriminating parameters for the presence of a NSD1 gene alteration. METHODS:

Is extended biopsy protocol justified in all patients with suspected ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2012-01-03

Jan 3, 2012 ... Objective: To determine the significance of an extended 10-core transrectal biopsy protocol in different categories of patients with suspected prostate cancer using digital guidance. Materials and Methods: We studied 125 men who were being evaluated for prostate cancer. They all had an extended.

Pharmacokinetics and Biodistribution of the Illegal Food Colorant Rhodamine B in Rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Yung-Yi; Tsai, Tung-Hu

2017-02-08

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) demonstrated rhodamine B as a potential carcinogen in 1978. Nevertheless, rhodamine B has been illegally used as a colorant in food in many countries. Few pharmacokinetic and toxicological investigations have been performed since the first pharmacokinetic study on rhodamine B in 1961. The aims of this study were to develop a simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography method with fluorescence detection for the quantitative detection of rhodamine B in the plasma and organs of rats and to estimate its pharmacokinetics and biodistribution. The results demonstrated that the oral bioavailabilities of rhodamine B were 28.3 and 9.8% for the low-dose and high-dose exposures, respectively. Furthermore, rhodamine B was highly accumulated in the liver and, to a lesser extent, the kidney, but was undetectable in the brain. These results provide useful information for improving the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of rhodamine B, supporting additional food safety evaluations.

Intraoperative ultrasonography in nine dogs with intra-abdominal neoplasm suspect

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniella Matos da Silva

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Intraoperative ultrasonography (IOUS is used in medicine for diagnosis and guidance during oncologic surgery. The aims of this study were to assess the performance, feasibility, advantages and difficulties of the IOUS technique in dogs with suspected intra-abdominal tumors. The study included nine client-owed dogs that had suspected intra-abdominal tumors (spleen, liver or bowel based on transabdominal ultrasound examination and that were subsequently referred for exploratory laparotomy surgery. During surgery, IOUS was performed; results of preoperative transabdominal ultrasonography, inspection by the surgeon and IOUS were compared on a case-by-case basis. IOUS was helpful in determining lesion resection in all cases. Lesions detected solely by the use of IOUS were observed in seven out of nine cases. Analysis of these cases demonstrated that IOUS can be a tool to assist during oncology surgery on the liver, spleen or bowel. Dogs with hepatic tumors can have small non-palpable intraparenchymal nodules, which may be visible by IOUS.

[Application of precursor ion scanning method in rapid screening of illegally added phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors and their unknown derivatives in Chinese traditional patent medicines and health foods].

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Jing; Cao, Ling; Feng, Youlong; Tan, Li

2014-11-01

The compounds with similar structure often have similar pharmacological activities. So it is a trend for illegal addition that new derivatives of effective drugs are synthesized to avoid the statutory test. This bring challenges to crack down on illegal addition behavior, however, modified derivatives usually have similar product ions, which allow for precursor ion scanning. In this work, precursor ion scanning mode of a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was first applied to screen illegally added drugs in complex matrix such as Chinese traditional patent medicines and healthy foods. Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors were used as experimental examples. Through the analysis of the structure and mass spectrum characteristics of the compounds, phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors were classified, and their common product ions were screened by full scan of product ions of typical compounds. Then high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method with precursor ion scanning mode was established based on the optimization of MS parameters. The effect of mass parameters and the choice of fragment ions were also studied. The method was applied to determine actual samples and further refined. The results demonstrated that this method can meet the need of rapid screening of unknown derivatives of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors in complex matrix, and prevent unknown derivatives undetected. This method shows advantages in sensitivity, specificity and efficiency, and is worth to be further investigated.

Conversion disorder as psychogenic nonepileptic seizures in suspected cancer: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Jimenez, Xavier F; Sharma, Jennifer S; Dar, Syma A

2014-01-01

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES), a form of conversion disorder, are paroxysmal episodes resembling epilepsy while lacking electrographic correlation. The phenomenon has rarely been reported in elderly patients and has not been associated with a new-onset medical diagnosis. We present the case of an 81-year-old female with no past psychiatric or traumatic history who developed PNES within the context of a new, suspected cancer. To our knowledge, this is the first such reported case of a suspected cancer (or otherwise medical) diagnosis contributing directly and temporally to the development of PNES. Discussion of involved psychosocial variables follows the vignette, and a brief review of relevant literature is offered. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Anterior segment changes after pharmacologic mydriasis using Pentacam and optical coherence tomography in angle closure suspects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing-Min Guo

2015-10-01

Full Text Available AIM:To compare the dynamic changes of anterior segment parameters especially iris morphology induced by pharmacologic mydriasis between angle closure suspects and normal controls.METHODS:The study group comprised 19 eyes of 19 angle closure suspects and 19 eyes of 19 age- and sex-matched normal open-angle eyes. Pentacam and optical coherence tomography measurements before and 30min after instillation of compound tropicamide eye drop were performed and compared. Biometric evaluations of iris tomography and anterior chamber angle were estimated by a customized image-processing software.RESULTS:Baseline axial length, iris cross sectional area and volume did not differ significantly between angle closure suspects and normal controls. Angle closure suspects had smaller pupil size, narrower anterior segment dimension and axial length, thinner iris with greater curve in comparison with normal controls. Pharmacologic mydriasis led to significant increments in iris thickness at 750 μm, anterior chamber depth and volume, whereas significant decrements in iris curve, cross sectional area and volume in both groups. Angle opening distance at 500 μm was increased significantly in normal controls (from 0.465±0.115 mm to 0.539±0.167 mm, P=0.009, but not in angle closure suspects (from 0.125±0.100 mm to 0.145±0.131 mm, P=0.326. Iris volume change per millimeter of pupil dilation (△IV/△PD decreased significantly less in angle closure suspects than normal controls (-2.47±1.33 mm2 vs -3.63±1.58 mm2, P=0.019. Linear regression analysis showed that the change of angle opening distance at 500 μm was associated most with the change of central anterior chamber depth (β=0.841, P=0.002 and △IV/△PD (β=0.028, P=0.002, followed by gender (β=0.062, P=0.032.CONCLUSION:Smaller iris volume decrement per millimeter of pupil dilation is related significantly with the less anterior angle opening in angle closure suspects after pharmacologic mydriasis. Dynamic

Diagnostic accuracy and patient acceptance of MRI in children with suspected appendicitis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thieme, Mai E.; Valdehueza, Zaldy D.; Wiarda, Bart M. [Medical Centre Alkmaar, Department of Radiology, Alkmaar (Netherlands); Leeuwenburgh, Marjolein M.N. [Academic Medical Centre Amsterdam, Department of Radiology, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Academic Medical Centre Amsterdam, Department of Surgery, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Bouman, Donald E. [Medical Spectrum Twente, Department of Radiology, Enschede (Netherlands); Bruin, Ivar G.J.M. de; Schreurs, W.H.; Houdijk, Alexander P.J. [Medical Centre Alkmaar, Department of Surgery, Alkmaar (Netherlands); Stoker, Jaap [Academic Medical Centre Amsterdam, Department of Radiology, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2014-03-15

To compare magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound in children with suspected appendicitis. In a single-centre diagnostic accuracy study, children with suspected appendicitis were prospectively identified at the emergency department. All underwent abdominal ultrasound and MRI within 2 h, with the reader blinded to other imaging findings. An expert panel established the final diagnosis after 3 months. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of three imaging strategies: ultrasound only, conditional MRI after negative or inconclusive ultrasound, and MRI only. Significance between sensitivity and specificity was calculated using McNemar's test statistic. Between April and December 2009 we included 104 consecutive children (47 male, mean age 12). According to the expert panel, 58 patients had appendicitis. The sensitivity of MRI only and conditional MRI was 100 % (95 % confidence interval 92-100), that of ultrasound was significantly lower (76 %; 63-85, P < 0.001). Specificity was comparable among the three investigated strategies; ultrasound only 89 % (77-95), conditional MRI 80 % (67-89), MRI only 89 % (77-95) (P values 0.13, 0.13 and 1.00). In children with suspected appendicitis, strategies with MRI (MRI only, conditional MRI) had a higher sensitivity for appendicitis compared with a strategy with ultrasound only, while specificity was comparable. (orig.)

Suspected post-vaccinal acute polyradiculoneuritis in a puppy : short communication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Gehring

2001-07-01

Full Text Available A 4-month-old German shepherd puppy developed hindquarter weakness after vaccination with a multivalent vaccine. This is suggestive of post-vaccinal polyradiculoneuritis. To date, only 1 similar case has been reported, which may be due to the under-reporting of suspected adverse drug reactions.

Use of budesonide Turbuhaler in young children suspected of asthma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bisgaard, H; Pedersen, S; Nikander, K

1994-01-01

The question addressed in this study was the ability of young children to use a dry-powder inhaler, Turbuhaler. One hundred and sixty five children suspected of asthma, equally distributed in one year age-groups from 6 months to 8 yrs, inhaled from a Pulmicort Turbuhaler, 200 micrograms budesonide...

Is extended biopsy protocol justified in all patients with suspected ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objective: To determine the significance of an extended 10-core transrectal biopsy protocol in different categories of patients with suspected prostate cancer using digital guidance. Materials and Methods: We studied 125 men who were being evaluated for prostate cancer. They all had an extended 10-core digitally guided ...

Mapping Forest Inventory and Analysis forest land use: timberland, reserved forest land, and other forest land

Science.gov (United States)

Mark D. Nelson; John Vissage

2007-01-01

The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program produces area estimates of forest land use within three subcategories: timberland, reserved forest land, and other forest land. Mapping these subcategories of forest land requires the ability to spatially distinguish productive from unproductive land, and reserved from nonreserved land. FIA field data were spatially...

From land cover change to land function dynamics: A major challenge to improve land characterization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verburg, P.H.; Steeg, van de J.; Veldkamp, A.; Willemen, L.

2009-01-01

Land cover change has always had a central role in land change science. This central role is largely the result of the possibilities to map and characterize land cover based on observations and remote sensing. This paper argues that more attention should be given to land use and land functions and

Illegal Alien Schoolchildren: Issues in Estimating State-by-State Costs. Report to the Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives. GAO-04-733

Science.gov (United States)

Kingsbury, Nancy R.

2004-01-01

To address the potential for estimating the costs of educating illegal alien schoolchildren, this report: identifies major government sources of relevant data; describes a Census Bureau plan for developing new information; and outlines cost-estimation approaches. Data were collected through: a survey of 20 states; outreach through associations of…

The impact of land use/land cover changes on land degradation dynamics: a Mediterranean case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bajocco, S; De Angelis, A; Perini, L; Ferrara, A; Salvati, L

2012-05-01

In the last decades, due to climate changes, soil deterioration, and Land Use/Land Cover Changes (LULCCs), land degradation risk has become one of the most important ecological issues at the global level. Land degradation involves two interlocking systems: the natural ecosystem and the socio-economic system. The complexity of land degradation processes should be addressed using a multidisciplinary approach. Therefore, the aim of this work is to assess diachronically land degradation dynamics under changing land covers. This paper analyzes LULCCs and the parallel increase in the level of land sensitivity to degradation along the coastal belt of Sardinia (Italy), a typical Mediterranean region where human pressure affects the landscape characteristics through fires, intensive agricultural practices, land abandonment, urban sprawl, and tourism concentration. Results reveal that two factors mainly affect the level of land sensitivity to degradation in the study area: (i) land abandonment and (ii) unsustainable use of rural and peri-urban areas. Taken together, these factors represent the primary cause of the LULCCs observed in coastal Sardinia. By linking the structural features of the Mediterranean landscape with its functional land degradation dynamics over time, these results contribute to orienting policies for sustainable land management in Mediterranean coastal areas.

The Impact of Land Use/Land Cover Changes on Land Degradation Dynamics: A Mediterranean Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Bajocco, S.; De Angelis, A.; Perini, L.; Ferrara, A.; Salvati, L.

2012-05-01

In the last decades, due to climate changes, soil deterioration, and Land Use/Land Cover Changes (LULCCs), land degradation risk has become one of the most important ecological issues at the global level. Land degradation involves two interlocking systems: the natural ecosystem and the socio-economic system. The complexity of land degradation processes should be addressed using a multidisciplinary approach. Therefore, the aim of this work is to assess diachronically land degradation dynamics under changing land covers. This paper analyzes LULCCs and the parallel increase in the level of land sensitivity to degradation along the coastal belt of Sardinia (Italy), a typical Mediterranean region where human pressure affects the landscape characteristics through fires, intensive agricultural practices, land abandonment, urban sprawl, and tourism concentration. Results reveal that two factors mainly affect the level of land sensitivity to degradation in the study area: (i) land abandonment and (ii) unsustainable use of rural and peri-urban areas. Taken together, these factors represent the primary cause of the LULCCs observed in coastal Sardinia. By linking the structural features of the Mediterranean landscape with its functional land degradation dynamics over time, these results contribute to orienting policies for sustainable land management in Mediterranean coastal areas.

Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Vessel Density in Healthy, Glaucoma Suspect, and Glaucoma Eyes

Science.gov (United States)

Yarmohammadi, Adeleh; Zangwill, Linda M.; Diniz-Filho, Alberto; Suh, Min Hee; Manalastas, Patricia Isabel; Fatehee, Naeem; Yousefi, Siamak; Belghith, Akram; Saunders, Luke J.; Medeiros, Felipe A.; Huang, David; Weinreb, Robert N.

2016-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) retinal vasculature measurements in healthy, glaucoma suspect, and glaucoma patients. Methods Two hundred sixty-one eyes of 164 healthy, glaucoma suspect, and open-angle glaucoma (OAG) participants from the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study with good quality OCT-A images were included. Retinal vasculature information was summarized as a vessel density map and as vessel density (%), which is the proportion of flowing vessel area over the total area evaluated. Two vessel density measurements extracted from the RNFL were analyzed: (1) circumpapillary vessel density (cpVD) measured in a 750-μm-wide elliptical annulus around the disc and (2) whole image vessel density (wiVD) measured over the entire image. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) were used to evaluate diagnostic accuracy. Results Age-adjusted mean vessel density was significantly lower in OAG eyes compared with glaucoma suspects and healthy eyes. (cpVD: 55.1 ± 7%, 60.3 ± 5%, and 64.2 ± 3%, respectively; P glaucoma and healthy eyes, the age-adjusted AUROC was highest for wiVD (0.94), followed by RNFL thickness (0.92) and cpVD (0.83). The AUROCs for differentiating between healthy and glaucoma suspect eyes were highest for wiVD (0.70), followed by cpVD (0.65) and RNFL thickness (0.65). Conclusions Optical coherence tomography angiography vessel density had similar diagnostic accuracy to RNFL thickness measurements for differentiating between healthy and glaucoma eyes. These results suggest that OCT-A measurements reflect damage to tissues relevant to the pathophysiology of OAG. PMID:27409505

48 CFR 3003.203 - Reporting suspected violations of the Gratuities clause.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Reporting suspected violations of the Gratuities clause. 3003.203 Section 3003.203 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, HOMELAND SECURITY ACQUISITION REGULATION (HSAR) GENERAL IMPROPER BUSINESS...

The role of the follow-up chest radiograph in suspected non-accidental injury

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anilkumar, Adikesavalu; Fender, Laura J; Broderick, Nigel J; Somers, John M; Halliday, Katharine E [Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust, Department of Radiology, Queen' s Medical Centre, Nottingham (United Kingdom)

2006-03-15

Rib fractures in children under the age of 2 years have a strong correlation with non-accidental injury (NAI). Follow-up radiographs can improve detection. To evaluate the value of the follow-up chest radiograph in suspected non-accidental injury. The study included all children less than 2 years of age who were investigated for suspected NAI in our institution between January 1998 and October 2003. Prior to January 2000, only selected patients were asked to attend for a follow-up chest radiograph. From January 2000 onwards all children were asked to reattend. Of 200 children included in the study, 59 (29.5%) reattended for a follow-up chest radiograph. The follow-up film provided useful additional information in 7 (12%) of the 59 children. In two children rib fractures were noted only on the follow-up chest radiograph. In a further two patients additional rib fractures were noted. Additional dating information was obtained for two patients. For one child both additional fractures and dating information were noted. The follow-up chest radiograph provides useful information in children with suspected NAI and it is recommended that it should be included routinely in the imaging investigations of these children. (orig.)

The role of the follow-up chest radiograph in suspected non-accidental injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anilkumar, Adikesavalu; Fender, Laura J.; Broderick, Nigel J.; Somers, John M.; Halliday, Katharine E.

2006-01-01

Rib fractures in children under the age of 2 years have a strong correlation with non-accidental injury (NAI). Follow-up radiographs can improve detection. To evaluate the value of the follow-up chest radiograph in suspected non-accidental injury. The study included all children less than 2 years of age who were investigated for suspected NAI in our institution between January 1998 and October 2003. Prior to January 2000, only selected patients were asked to attend for a follow-up chest radiograph. From January 2000 onwards all children were asked to reattend. Of 200 children included in the study, 59 (29.5%) reattended for a follow-up chest radiograph. The follow-up film provided useful additional information in 7 (12%) of the 59 children. In two children rib fractures were noted only on the follow-up chest radiograph. In a further two patients additional rib fractures were noted. Additional dating information was obtained for two patients. For one child both additional fractures and dating information were noted. The follow-up chest radiograph provides useful information in children with suspected NAI and it is recommended that it should be included routinely in the imaging investigations of these children. (orig.)

Do Illegal Copies of Movies Reduce the Revenue of Legal Products? The case of TV animation in Japan (Japanese)

OpenAIRE

TANAKA Tatsuo

2011-01-01

Whether or not illegal copies circulating on the internet reduce the sales of legal products has been a hot issue in the entertainment industries. Though much empirical research has been conducted on the music industry, research on the movie industry has been very limited. This paper examines the effects of the movie sharing site Youtube and file sharing program Winny on DVD sales and rentals of Japanese TV animation programs. Estimated equations of 105 anime episodes show that (1) Youtube vi...

Frequency of suspected cases of neurocysticercosis detected by computed skull tomography in Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, J E; Diefenthäler, A P; Palma, J K

2000-01-01

Due to the lack of studies about neurocysticercosis in the South of Brazil, an investigation was conducted to determine the percentage of suspected cases of neurocysticercosis in computed tomography diagnoses in Santa Maria, RS, from January 1997 to December 1998. Of 6300 computed tomographies (CT) of the skull performed at the private Hospital de Caridade Astrogildo de Azevedo, 80, i.e., 1.27% were suspected of neurocysticercosis. Fifty were women (62.5%) and 30 were men (37.5%). The most frequent radiological manifestation indicating neurocysticercosis was the presence of calcifications (isolated or associated), with a 95% rate (76 cases), while the presence of hypodense lesions reached a 5% rate (4 cases). After routine analysis, each CT was evaluated again and the suspected cases were confirmed. The percentage of suspected cases of neurocysticercosis detected by CT in the present study carried out in Santa Maria was considered low (1.27%). This can be explained by the fact that tomography is not accessible to the economically underprivileged population of Santa Maria. We hope that the present study can alert the population and the professionals to the fact that neurocysticercosis is a more frequent disease than indicated by the few diagnoses made.

Land cover change or land use intensification: simulating land system change with a global-scale land change model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Asselen, S.; Verburg, P.H.

2013-01-01

Land-use change is both a cause and consequence of many biophysical and socioeconomic changes. The CLUMondo model provides an innovative approach for global land-use change modeling to support integrated assessments. Demands for goods and services are, in the model, supplied by a variety of land

Dentists’ intention to report suspected violence: a cross-sectional study in eight Arab countries

Science.gov (United States)

Gaffar, Balgis; Arheiam, Arheiam; AbdelAziz, Wafaa; Al-Batayneh, Ola B; Alhoti, Mansur F; Al-Maweri, Sadeq; Dama, Mai A; Zaghez, Mounir; Hassan, Khalid Saddiq; Al-Sane, Mona; AbdelSalam, Maha; Sabbah, Wael; Owais, Arwa I; Abdelgawad, Fatma; Aldhelai, Thiyezen Abdullah; El Meligy, Omar Abd El Sadek; AlHumaid, Jehan; Al-Harbi, Fahad

2018-01-01

Objectives This study assessed dentists’ intention in eight Arab countries to report suspected exposure to violence among patients and factors associated with this intention based on the theory of planned behaviour. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016 including a convenience sample of dentists practising in public, private and academic sectors in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Respondents answered a self-administered questionnaire collecting information about personal and professional background and perceived ability to identify victims of violence. The questionnaire assessed (on a scale from 1 to 10 using six negative statements) dentists’ perception of healthcare system mandated reporting of suspected violence. Six statements were used to assess professional attitude towards reporting suspected violence. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between intention to report suspected violence and perceived ability, perception and attitude adjusting for confounders. Results The response rate was 65.2% (n=2936/4506) from general practitioners (70.9%) of mean age=31 years with 56.7% women. Of those, 68.8% intended to report and 52.2% considered themselves able to identify violence victims. The mean (SD) negative perception score=5.3/10 (2.1) and the mean (SD) professional attitude score=7.5/10 (1.9). In multivariate regression, intention to report was associated with professional attitude (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.14), ability to identify violence victims (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.45 to 2.12) and negative perception that reporting is not mandated (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.85 to 0.94). Significant differences existed among countries in intention to report. Conclusion Most dentists intended to report suspected violence and their intention could be explained by the theory of planned behaviour which offers a framework for professional development to support violence victims. Sharing of training resources

The importance of geoethics in the "Land of Fires"

Science.gov (United States)

Manzo, Ciro

2014-05-01

How was it possible that one of the most fertile soil worldwide called by Romans "Campania Felix", became one of the largest mass poisoning in a Western country? Answer is in the tons of toxic wastes illegally dumped into the fields all around area between Naples and Caserta, which now is known as "Terra dei Fuochi" (The Land of Fires - due to illegal wastes burning). In last 25 years two main emergencies affected Campania, one official started in 1994 due to local waste management system problems, another more hidden and older due to criminal gangs which earn money by illegal disposal of toxic wastes. Those two emergencies are interconnected and have grown in absence of respect for people's health and unknowledge of environmental themes. Apart from judging legal issues, the only evidence visible to public opinion is that during waste emergencies in Campania, decision makers, admitting also their good faith, didn't consider enough environmental risks and decided, in order to solve emergency, to dump wastes in not geological feasible sites, such as landfills at the feet of Vesuvio national park or in abandoned quarries such as Chiaiano tuff pit, exposing local inhabitant and economic activities to high risks. This work wants to underline that geoethics is fundamental as much as the need of geologists participation to whole remediation processes and to raising environmental awareness in the society. Maybe these themes seems to be trivial but geological competences are very important in understanding of pollution risks. This knowledge is practically obscure to decision makers and people, often media provides uncorrected informations which improve the fear of population. In example the idea that whole groundwater in the area is polluted is wrong and is strongly reducing the purchase of agricultural products of the area, and the only way to assess real contamination is site-specific characterization. Indeed Campania plain has a complex stratigraphic architecture with

Land reform and land fragmentation in Central and Eastern Europe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hartvigsen, Morten B.

2014-01-01

It has often been stated that land fragmentation and farm structures characterized by small agricultural holdings and farms divided in a large number of parcels have been the side-effect of land reform in Central and Eastern Europe. This article reports the findings of a study of land reform in 25...... countries in the region from 1989 and onwards and provides an overview of applied land reform approaches. With a basis in theory on land fragmentation, the linkage between land reform approaches and land fragmentation is explored. It is discussed in which situations land fragmentation is a barrier...... for the development of the agricultural and rural sector. The main finding is that land fragmentation is often hampering agricultural and rural development when both land ownership and land use is highly fragmented....