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Plasma membrane repair is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism by which cells can seal breaches in the plasma membrane. Mutations in several proteins with putative roles in sarcolemma integrity, membrane repair, and membrane transport result in several forms of muscle disease; however, the mechanisms that are activated and responsible for sarcolemma resealing are not well understood. Using the standard assays for membrane repair, which track the uptake of FM 1-43 dye into adult skeletal muscle fibers following laser-induced sarcolemma disruption, we show that labeling of resting fibers by FM1-43 prior to membrane wounding and the induced FM1-43 dye uptake after sarcolemma wounding occurs via dynamin-dependent endocytosis. Dysferlin-deficient muscle fibers show elevated dye uptake following wounding, which is the basis for the assertion that membrane repair is defective in this model. Our data show that dynamin inhibition mitigates the differences in FM1-43 dye uptake between dysferlin-null and wild-type muscle fibers, suggesting that elevated wound-induced FM1-43 uptake in dysferlin-deficient muscle may actually be due to enhanced dynamin-dependent endocytosis following wounding, though dynamin inhibition had no effect on dysferlin trafficking after wounding. By monitoring calcium flux after membrane wounding, we show that reversal of calcium precedes the sustained, slower increase of dynamin-dependent FM1-43 uptake in WT fibers, and that dysferlin-deficient muscle fibers have persistently increased calcium after wounding, consistent with its proposed role in resealing. These data highlight a previously unappreciated role for dynamin-dependent endocytosis in wounded skeletal muscle fibers and identify overactive dynamin-dependent endocytosis following sarcolemma wounding as a potential mechanism or consequence of dysferlin deficiency.

Aim During the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BOA recommended that upper limb surgery for trauma should be avoided if possible, or performed as day-case if unavoidable, to reduce the risk of COVID-19 related negative outcomes. This audit assessed compliance with recommendations and impact on proportion of injuries managed conservatively due to COVID-19 risks, inpatient stay duration, COVID-19 infections, and corrective surgical intervention rates. Method Data was collected for all referrals to orthopaedics for upper limb fractures/dislocations at a large NHS teaching hospital in the North West over a 10-week period from April 4th to June 12th. Follow up was performed to 6 months after date of injury. Care was audited against the “British Orthopaedic Association Standard in Trauma: Management of patient with urgent orthopaedic conditions and trauma during the coronavirus pandemic”. Results A total of 112 patients were referred. 76% of patients were discharged from Emergency Department, with surgery indicated in 48%. Of those, 11% (n = 6) were not operated on due to COVID-19 risks and 1 patient from this group (16.7%) has required secondary corrective surgery. Surgery was completed as day-case procedure in 50%. COVID-19 swabs were not taken in 46% of referrals, 50% had a negative test and 4% positive. No patients tested positive after discharge following treatment. Conclusions Few cases were managed conservatively based on COVID-19 risk, and only 1 patient has required secondary surgery. More upper limb injuries may be managed conservatively, as per BOAST standards, with day-case procedures better utilised as an alternative.

Background Management of traumatic bone void associated with Gustilo IIIB open fractures is challenging. Gentamicin eluting synthetic bone graft substitute (Cerament-G) had been recently utilised for the management of patients with these injuries. This study aims to assess radiological signs of Cerament-G remodelling. Method Retrospective data analysis of all patients admitted to our unit with IIIB open fractures who had Cerament-G applied as avoid filler. Postoperative radiographic images of the fracture site at 6-weeks, 3-months, 6-months and at the last follow-up were reviewed. The radiological signs of Cerament-G integration, percent of void healing, and bone cortical thickness at the final follow-up were assessed. Results 34 patients met our inclusion criteria, mean age: 42 years. Mean follow-up time was 20 months. 59% of patients had excellent (>90%) void filling, 26.4% of patients had 50-90% void filling, and 14.6% had < 50% void filling. Normal bone cortical thickness was restored on AP and Lateral views in 55.8% of patients. No residual Cerement-G was seen on X-rays at the final follow-up in any of the patients. Conclusions Our results showed successful integration of Cerament-G with excellent void filling and normal cortical thickness achieved in more than half of the patients.

The overwhelming majority of objects visible to LSST lie within the Galactic Plane. Though many previous surveys have avoided this region for fear of stellar crowding, LSST's spatial resolution combined with its state-of-the-art Difference Image Analysis mean that it can conduct a high cadence survey of most of the Galaxy for the first time. Here we outline the many areas of science that would greatly benefit from an LSST survey that included the Galactic Plane, Magellanic Clouds and Bulge at a cadence of 2-3 d. Particular highlights include measuring the mass spectrum of black holes, and mapping the population of exoplanets in the Galaxy in relation to variations in star forming environments. But the same survey data will provide a goldmine for a wide range of science, and we explore possible survey strategies which maximize the scientific return for a number of fields including young stellar objects, cataclysmic variables and Neptune Trojans.

While the practice of Internet financial reporting (IFR) has evolved rapidly, research has questioned the corresponding responsiveness of the auditing profession. This study investigates the existence and nature of an expectations gap that may have arisen in relation to the auditor's role and responsibilities with respect to IFR. Based on a questionnaire survey in New Zealand, results confirm the existence of an expectations gap between auditors and stakeholder groups. Specific responsibilities contributing to deficient performance, deficient standards, and unreasonable expectations components of this gap are identified. The principal pronouncement dealing with auditors’ relevant responsibilities in New Zealand is AGS 1003 Audit Issues Relating to the Electronic Presentation of Financial Statements and Related Auditor's Reports. AGS 1003 discusses, inter alia, the auditor's role and responsibilities in relation to electronic financial statements before and after online publication, and the implications of...

Combinations of cockpit display features may lead to increased pilot perceptions of clutter. This research sought to capture pilot perceptions of display clutter associated with primary flight display features during a vertical takeoff and landing scenario and to validate a multidimensional measure of clutter previously developed for a fixed-wing environment. Sixteen active fixed-wing pilots were recruited for the study that used a simulator configured as a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. A factor analysis was used to reduce the number of subdimensions of the clutter measure based on previous ratings data. The simplified measure revealed an increase in the number of active display features to cause an increase in perceived clutter. Displays including synthetic vision system features were perceived as significantly more cluttered than those without. Although a tunnel (highway in the sky) feature also contributed to clutter, pilots achieved higher navigation system failure detection rates when the fe...

Much has changed since the last guideline of 2008, both in endoscopy and in the practice of obtaining informed consent, and it is vital that all endoscopists who are responsible for performing invasive and increasingly risky procedures are aware of the requirements for obtaining valid consent. This guideline is restricted to GI endoscopy but we cover elective and acute or emergency procedures. Few clinical trials have been carried out in relation to informed consent but most areas are informed by guidance from the General Medical Counsel (GMC) and/or are enshrined in legislation. Following an iterative voting process a series of recommendations have been drawn up that cover the majority of situations that will be encountered by endoscopists. This is not exhaustive and where doubt exists we have described where legal advice is likely to be required. This document relates to the law and endoscopy practice in the UK-where there is variation between the four devolved countries this is pointed out and endoscopists must be aware of the law where they practice. The recommendations are divided into consent for patients with and without capacity and we provide sections on provision of information and the consent process for patients in a variety of situations. This guideline is intended for use by all practitioners who request or perform GI endoscopy, or are involved in the pathway of such patients. If followed, we hope this document will enhance the experience of patients attending for endoscopy in UK units.

Obviously there is nothing new about humans using violence as a tool to advance their economic, political and social interests. There is no lack of quick and superficially convincing reasons on offer, reflecting the political agenda of those doing the offering. However sensible explanations of complex social phenomena are inevitably messy. Rather than yielding absolute certainty, they can at best indicate tendencies constrained by circumstances that are subject to dramatic change through random shocks of both exogenous and endogenous origin. This paper examines the possible role played by violence in contemporary illegal-market activity in an effort to clear up definitional ambiguities and highlight the underlying logic or lack thereof in frequent claims about a close association between earning, spending, saving or investing of ill-gotten gains and any propensity that participants might have to advance or defend their economic interests by violent means. It concludes that the links are at best tenuous and confined only to marginal instances that are usually explicable by the broader social, political and cultural context rather than anything inherent in the logic of these markets.

Although crime in the market for fine arts has a long historical pedigree, the explosive growth of the market, and the conversion of art (along with collectible goods of all sorts) into speculative assets, that began or at least accelerated in the mid 1970s, focused increasing attention on the phenomenon. At the same time the issue of protecting cultural patrimony became a subject of greater contention between source and market countries, while common law and civil code jurisdictions struggled over how to reconcile approaches to regulation and enforcement. This paper highlights these issues with specific reference to the market for high-end paintings although its lessons are germane to all subdivisions of the collectibles market. It attempts to elucidate the main criminogenic factors—speculative shifts in demand, fraudulent supply, and illegal activity by various intermediary institutions ranging from dealers to appraisers to auction houses, while highlighting the role of collectors, museums, and financial institutions both as victims and active participants. Despite enduring myths about “organized crime,” illegal operations in the art market are the work overwhelmingly of insiders who alone have the technical knowledge and circle of intimates necessary to link an illicit supply with a demand that can range from the strictly legitimate, the legal but dubious, and the explicitly criminal. The critical lesson is that stolen, forged or smuggled material makes its way through much the same circles of intermediaries and ends up for the most part in the same locations and the same hands as artwork of legal origin.

Cyanide detoxification was studied by immobilisation of fungal mycelia that had been induced to form cyanide hydratase (formamide hydrolyase) which is able to hydrolyse cyanide to formamide. The fungal pathogens of cyanogenic plants, Stemphylium loti, Gloeocercospora sorghi and Fusarium moniliforme were immobilised using polyelectrolyte flocculating agents. The effect of immobilisation on the enzymic properties of S. loti and G. sorghi were investigated. The apparent Km values increased from 21.0 mmol and 25.5 mmol KCN to 43.5 mmol and 71.0 mmol KCN, respectively. The pH profile for the two enzymes widened on immobilisation. The stoichiometry of 1:1 cyanide utilisation to formamide formation was retained on immobilisation, with complete conversion of 70 mmol KCN in 120 min by 0.12 g dry wt of S. loti and in 6 min by 0.13 g dry wt of G. sorghi. When the two fungi were stabilised by immobilisation, and tested in column reactors containing 1.2 g dry wt of S. loti and 1.3 g dry wt of G. sorghi, they completely converted cyanide (70 mmol; added continuously at 7.5 ml h−1) into formamide for 2 days and 30 days, respectively. Stability was enhanced by inclusion of 1.0 mmol glucose in the 70 mmol KCN solution, by a further 10 h for S. loti and an extra 10 days for G. sorghi. Operational stabilities of immobilised G. sorghi (1.3 g dry wt) and F. moniliforme (1.0 g wet wt) in column reactors, with 100 % cyanide conversion, at varying flow rates was investigated. G. sorghi was stable for 15, 10 and 2 days whereas F. moniliforme was only stable for 48, 20 and 10 h at 30, 60 and 120 ml h−1 flow rates respectively.

Primary cutaneous adenoid cystic carcinoma is a rare, slow-growing malignancy first described by Boggio in 1975. This tumor characteristically consists of basophilic cells with a distinct adenoid or cribriform pattern in the mid to deep reticular dermis. Modified myoepithelial cells with prominent basement membrane material often surround true lumina. Definitive diagnosis relies on the characteristic histologic features and the exclusion of metastatic disease. We describe two patients who presented with painful papules of the scalp and were successfully treated with wide local excision.

Particularly since the emergence of modern stock markets, investment frauds based on hyped or completely phony claims have been sufficient to cause concern. However those involving precious metals seem in a category by themselves. Partly no doubt that is because such schemes routinely promise fantastic returns; partly, too, it is because precious metals have a special lure based on myth, magic or even atavistic religious appeal which con artists exploit. However it is often difficult with precious metal mines to know precisely where over-enthusiasm by promoters ends and outright fraud against investors begins. Unlike with base metals, it is commercially feasible to mine precious ones at very low concentrations; while the speculative nature of most new mining ventures makes failure for legitimate reasons a frequent occurrence, helping to disguise or at least fudge the distinction between a business venture that went sour and an outright scam. Moreover the geology of sites can be tricky even for experts to read; assay results are far from conclusive in many instances; and the technologies employed are often changing with the result that what might have seemed an impossibility one day becomes at least arguable the next. All this combines with short memories and the lure of potentially very high returns to make investment in the precious metals sector as much today as in the past treacherous not just for novices but even for experienced investors. This paper examines the nature of such investment frauds in light of history, technology and geological uncertainty, and suggests reasons to expect no significant change in the foreseeable future.

In the wake of 9/11 and the invasion of Afghanistan, then of Iraq, with all the talk of a renewed Clash of Civilizations, came a revival of interest in the lessons from what seemed to be the direct antecedent, namely the Barbary Wars of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. At that time, too, America had seemed to be forced to defend itself economically and militarily against a fanatical foe which rationalized crimes in the name of religion to wage terror against innocents. There are indeed close analogies between the two; but they are almost exactly the opposite of what much popular (and some official) belief holds true. If today it has become clear that most justifications for the current Terror War were fabrications intended to cloak other agendas at home and abroad, when the Barbary Wars are subjected to serious scrutiny, much the same forces advancing much the same agendas appear at work. Nor are the “politics of fear” new in American history. During the Barbary Wars, carefully cultivated fears of a rising Islamintern served to: divert public attention from domestic political problems; suppress political dissent; provide cover for regressive fiscal changes; cloak offensive militarism in defensive guise; and ride roughshod over both conventions of international diplomacy and normal standards of criminal justice, all rationalized by a sense of Christian mission.

What if the underground economy is a ruse to get government to lower taxes? This economist argues there is some truth to such an allegation. The claim is that high taxes drive business to circumvent the law. But he says the size of underground economies has been grossly exaggerated.

This paper examines the emergence and operation of the illegal market for ivory, paying particular attention to the institutional structure and criminogenic characteristics of the industry. It notes that many of the problems associated with modern regulation have deep historical roots. While much anti-animal trade rhetoric emphasizes the alleged participation of “organized crime” in the clandestine traffic, the reality is that, not just with ivory, but with all wildlife trade, the illegal market is run (and always has been run) by the same actors who operate the legal one, and with the same infrastructure. On the other hand, while much free-market rhetoric insists that regulations, along with taxes and prohibitions, simply lead to underground activity which frustrates the objectives of the policy, in reality the causes of the growth of the illegal market are much more complex. Certainly some illegal trade in ivory dates back to the very start of conservation regulations, but it was not sufficient to pose a threat to the survival of the affected species. Rapid growth of the illegal market really dates from the 1970s. It emerged in response, not to regulatory changes, but to inflated demand due to exogenous financial changes on one side and the interaction between increased human pressure on habitat and a shifting international geo-strategic context on the other. The ivory trade was associated with civil strife long before “blood diamonds” or “conflict timber” came into vogue. Pressure on the herds, which had reached apparently crisis proportions by the late 1980s, led to a shift from a regulatory to a prohibitory regime. Although that shift was presented as essential to save the species, the experience with supply-side controls in general calls such optimism into question. Legal initiatives originally evolved to affect market behavior in advanced industrial countries may be of dubious merit when applied to the radically different problem of policing “crimes against nature,” particularly in places where competition for resources is acute, administrative structures are weak, and governments may lack in legitimacy in the eyes of significant portions of their populations.

The structure of porous Si 1-x Ge x films was characterized using Raman spectroscopy. As the film porosity increases the sizes of Si 1-x Ge x nanocrystals decrease, and also the film composition slightly modifies in favor of Ge. The Si 1-x Ge x nanocrystals were estimated to be 12.0 nm, 16.1 nm and 19.3 nm average diameter in three porous samples prepared from undoped Si 0.87 Ge 0.13 films with 20 min, 10 min and 2 min etch times, respectively, at the same current density 22 mA cm -2 . The final Ge fractions were determined for the samples as 17.4%, 14.5% and 13.0%, respectively. It is seen by this study that Raman spectroscopy is, as it has always been for bulk Si 1-x Ge x alloys, a very useful technique for characterizing the structure of porous Si 1-x Ge x films.

This paper attempts to provide a general theoretical model and a clarified terminology by which profit driven crimes can be understood in economic rather than in sociological terms. It proposes a typology that shifts the focus from actors to actions in a way that differs from, though is compatible with, the 'scripts ' and situational crime approaches. Rather than focusing on a profit-driven crime as a logical sequence of actions, it deconstructs a profit-driven crime into its inherent characteristics, which differ radically according to whether a crime is predatory, market-based or commercial in nature. Among the principle characteristics are whether transfers of property occur by force, free-market exchange or fraud; whether those transfers involve redistribution of wealth, distribution of income, or redistri bution of income; whether the crime occurs in a non-business, underground network or legitimate business setting; and whether the optimal response is restitution, forfeiture or compensation. This approach also permits crimes to be better assessed as to their impact on national income and economic welfare levels. It helps separate the primary offence (the illegal acquisition of criminal proceeds) from secondary ones (such as corruption, violence, tax evasion and money laundering). And it has implications for the definition and relative seriousness of various profit-driven offences. If traditional criminology has focused almost exclusively on the 'who' and the 'why', and the new situational and script approaches on the 'how', this paperfocuses on the 'what' by drawing out the essential characteristics of the three major forms of profit-driven crime.

The detection of two similar periodicities (3001 and 3028 s) in the light curve of V1405 Aql, a low mass X-ray Binary (LMXRB), has attracted the attention of many observers. Two basic competing models have been offered for this system. According to the first, V1405 Aql is a triple system. The second model invokes the presence of an accretion disc that precesses in the apsidal plane, suggesting that the shorter period is the orbital period while the longer is a positive superhump. The debate on the nature of V1405 Aql has been continued until very recently. Re-examination of previously published X-ray data reveals an additional periodicity of 2979 s, which is naturally interpreted as a negative superhump. The recently found 4.8-d period is consequently understood as the nodal precession of the disc. This is the first firm detection of negative superhumps and nodal precession in a LMXRB. Our results thus confirm the classification of V1405 Aql as a permanent superhump system. The 14-year argument on the nature of this intriguing object has thus finally come to an end. We find that the ratio between the negative superhump deficit (over the orbital period) and the positive superhump excess is a function of orbital period in systems that show both types of superhumps. This relation presents some challenge to theory as it fits binaries with different components. We propose that a thickening in the disc rim, which causes increased occultation of the X-ray source, is the mechanism responsible for both types of superhumps in LMXRBs. According to our model superhumps (both in the X-ray and optical regimes) are permitted in high inclination LMXRBs contrary to Haswell et al. (2001) prediction.

A study is presented of the local structure of intense visible light emitting porous SiGe with an initial Ge fraction of 30 at% grown on boron doped-Si substrates by Solid State Molecular Beam Epitaxy (SS-MBE). Analysis of the Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) of the SS-MBE grown SiGe and their anodized porous counterparts processed under various conditions is used to obtain a better understanding of the visible light-emitting mechanism of porous SiGe. In addition, the photoluminescence decay dynamics of porous SiGe are examined and are found to differ in terms of speed and behaviour from porous Si. We interpret the origin of visible PL of the porous MBE SiGe films by considering the quantum confinement effect, as in the interpretation of PL from porous Si, and the evolution of the SiGe Si like-band structure.

Over the last 15 years there has been a quiet revolution in law enforcement. Instead of simply closing rackets that generate illegal income, the central objective has become to attack criminal profits after they have been earned. The underlying theory is that this will eliminate both the motive and the capital for further crimes. The principal legal instruments take the form of tougher regulations to hamper the infiltration of criminal money into the legitimate economy, and of sweeping asset-seizure laws to help take away from criminals the profits of their crimes. This paper examines the origins of the policy, finding its roots in myth and misunderstanding about the nature and operation of the criminal marketplace. It critically scrutinizes the rationalizations by which the policy is justified. It raises questions about how illicit profits can be measured, and how their presumed damage to the legitimate economy can actually be assessed. It dissects the methods through which a follow-the-money policy is implemented, attempting to determine criteria by which success of such a policy could possibly be judged. It looks at the incidental costs of the proceeds-of-crime approach, for example the skewing of law enforcement priorities, egregious violations of civil rights and potentially serious damage to the integrity of the tax system. Finally it suggests an alternative approach, well grounded in history and proven in experience, that would achieve the fundamental objective of taking away from criminals the profits of crime without the dangers attendant on the current follow-the-money fad.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the short-term efficacy and tolerability of clomipramine in a consecutive series of adults with pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs). Thirty-five adults with PDDs (DSM-IV), 16 of whom were nonverbal, entered a 12-week prospective open-label trial of clomipramine. The initial sample included 18 patients with autistic disorder, 6 patients with Asperger's disorder, and 11 patients with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDDNOS). Behavioral ratings were obtained at baseline and after 4, 8, and 12 weeks of clomipramine. Eighteen (55%) of the 33 patients who completed the trial were categorized as treatment responders based on scores of "much improved" or "very much improved" on the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) global improvement item (p < 0.001). Ten (63%) of 16 patients with autistic disorder, 2 (33%) of 6 patients with Asperger's disorder, and 6 (55%) of 11 patients with PDDNOS were considered responders to clomipramine treatment. In those 18 patients, clomipramine significantly reduced total repetitive thoughts and behavior (p < 0.001) and also aggression (p < 0.001), and improved some aspects of social relatedness, such as eye contact and verbal responsiveness (p < 0.001). Change in these specific symptom clusters over time was not related to DSM-IV subtype of PDD. The level of autistic behavior, as measured by the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) score, and full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ) were not significantly associated with global treatment response. Whereas clomipramine was well tolerated by most patients, 13 had clinically significant adverse effects. Three patients had seizures during clomipramine treatment, including 2 who had prior seizure disorders and were taking anticonvulsants. Of the 32 patients who had no history of prior seizures, only 1 had a seizure during clomipramine treatment. There were no adverse cardiovascular or extrapyramidal effects. All responders continued on clomipramine after completion of the study. The results of this open-label trial suggest that clomipramine may be an effective drug for reducing repetitive thoughts and actions and aggressive behavior and for improving some elements of social behavior, such as eye contact and verbal responsivity in adults with PDDs. Careful monitoring of adverse effects, particularly seizures, is warranted. Although an electroencephalogram (EEG) is not mandatory in patients with PDD prior to clomipramine treatment, we recommend that patients with PDD and a history of seizures be treated initially with a selective serotonin uptake inhibitor rather than with clomipramine. The findings of this study require replication in a double-blind placebo-controlled investigation before definitive statements of efficacy and tolerability can be made.

This paper dissects the global business of gold, from the ground, through the refining and marketing process and on into the hands of the final consumer, while examining the main forms of criminal activity associated with each stage. In one fundamental respect the black market for gold is quite different from that for other contraband goods. With opiates, for example, although there are occasional interrelations, it is reasonable to differentiate between legal and illegal sectors. The legal one uses raw material from designated producing areas, transforming it into a pharmaceutical product to supply a controlled medical demand. The illegal one uses illicitly obtained raw materials to make “recreational” drugs in order to service a demand that in most countries is defined as criminal by its very nature. By contrast, with gold, legally and illegally produced raw materials flow through the same channels to the same set of legitimate firms for refining and casting; and the product of these respectable refineries then is redivided into separate streams serving the overt and the covert portions of the market. Even then the cross-links do not stop. Legally sold gold can be diverted into illicit uses, while illegally obtained gold can end up in the hands of otherwise legitimate manufacturers or consumers. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** AW502007 00002

We report on a 1-day ASCA observation of the eclipsing dwarf nova HT Cas. We confirm the presence of an X-ray eclipse, which is narrow and deep. The data are consistent with the X-rays originating entirely from the immediate neighborhood of the white dwarf. We draw some preliminary conclusions on the boundary layer and other relevant issues.

IP Peg is a U Gem-type dwarf nova with a very high orbital inclination such that the secondary star eclipses the white dwarf primary, accretion disc and hot spot in each orbit. An observing project was set up by ‘The Astronomer’ (TA) magazine and the British Astronomical Association Variable Star Section to make visual and CCD eclipse observations of IP Peg during outbursts in the 1994/95 season.

In the West economically motivated crime is usually perceived as a matter for the police while the performance of the economy is a matter for the political authorities. This paper argues that the growth and evolution of the modern underground economy has made such a distinction obsolete. Not only have the frontiers between the legitimate and the criminal sectors of the economy blurred, but the distinction between the explicitly criminal and the merely “informal” aspects of the modern underground economy has become largely meaningless. Given the tremendous growth of underground activity, this means that the issue must now be addressed not just on the enterprise level, as a police matter, but on the level of the economy as a whole, by economic policy makers. This in fact is something that many developing countries long ago realized. The paper therefore asks whether developing countries have been any more successful in using monetary, fiscal and balance of payments policy to mitigate the adverse social and economic impact of widespread underground economic activity than have Western countries who have relied mainly on the sanction of criminal law. It concludes that both approaches are deficient in so far as they neglect the degree to which modern underground activity can no longer be seen as a manifestation of “deviant” economic behavior so much as a virtual economic insurgency against the status quo distribution of income and wealth and the codes of economic behavior which accompany it. However dramatic are the financial manifestations of the spread of enterprise crime, ultimately the challenge it poses must be addressed as the political and ideological level.

Preliminary evidence is presented for the possible clinical value of risperidone in the treatment of 3 adults with autistic disorder or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. Two males (ages 20 and 31 years) with autistic disorder and one female (age 44 years) with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified showed significant improvement in social relatedness, repetitive thoughts and behavior, and impulsive aggression with risperidone treatment (2–8 mg daily). Clinical improvement has been maintained for a minimum of 1 year in all 3 cases. These findings are consistent with previous evidence suggesting that serotonin and dopamine neurotransmission may be relevant to the treatment and possibly the pathophysiology of some symptoms of pervasive developmental disorders.

The 1990s have already witnessed an explosion of social and political violence, with the threat of much more on the way. Many explanations have been offered — the stripping of the constraints formerly imposed by the Cold War alliance system; the delegitimization of states and the resurgence of ethno-religious identification; the end of the post-War social consensus that promised (though often did not deliver) a modicum of distributive justice. The paper stresses another, more mundane explanation — namely, the triumph over efforts at control of a free market in the instruments for effecting social and political change by violent means. It explains the contradiction between the amount of human, social and political damage weapons do and the ease with which they are acquired by exploring structural changes in the world arms black market since the 1980s. First, it argues that existing data showing a sharp decrease in international arms transfers can be reinterpreted in a much more pessimistic way, in part because of the operation of the modern black market. Second, a definition is offered of a black market transaction, differentiating it from otherwise legitimate deals that are criminalized on either the supply or demand sides. Third, it notes dramatic changes in the nature of the demand for weapons that drives more buyers into the black market. Fourth, it examines changes on the supply side that have made it so easy for a black market participant to acquire weapons, whether for direct end-use or for resale. Fifth, broad structural changes in the machinery of black marketeering in general, and their applications to the arms market in particular, are outlined. Sixth, a profile of the modern, as distinct from the traditional, gun running profession is offered, stressing the ambiguous role of the intelligence services in the traffic. Seventh, a black market arms deal is traced in its various stages through the machinery of covert commerce, while exploring at each stage the implications for pricing. Eight, the return flow of money is analyzed, from the point of view both of the form in which payment is made and the role of the formal banking system in handling and laundering the flow. Ninth, the financial problems facing non-state buyers and the consequent role of “unconventional currencies” is examined. Finally, some observations are offered about the implications of recent developments in the arms market for issues of arms control and international security.

Preclinical and clinical evidence suggests that serotonin may be involved in the pathophysiology of autistic disorder. Drugs which facilitate serotonin function have demonstrated relative efficacy in improving social relatedness, diminishing aggressivity, and reducing repetitive thoughts and behaviors in some patients with autism. This single-case report reviews the rationale for the use of lithium augmentation of a serotonin uptake inhibitor, fluvoxamine, in the treatment of autism. A 27-year-old man with autistic disorder was treated with fluvoxamine 200 mg (3 mg/kg) daily for 12 weeks and showed minimal clinical response. When lithium 900 mg daily (0.7 meq/L) was added to the fluvoxamine, a substantial clinical improvement in social relatedness and a marked reduction in aggressive and impulsive behavior were observed after two weeks. At the end of four weeks of treatment with fluvoxamine and lithium, the patient was rated as much improved on the several rating scales. He maintained this clinically mean...

Biomaterials are being used with increasing frequency for tissue substitution. Complex devices such as total joint replacement and the total artificial heart represent combinations of polymers and metal alloys for system and organ replacement. The major barrier to the extended use of these devices is bacterial adhesion to biomaterials, which causes biomaterial-centered infection, and the lack of successful tissue integration or compatibility with biomaterial surfaces. Adhesion-mediated infections are extremely resistant to antibiotics and host defenses and frequently persist until the biomaterial or foreign body is removed. The pathogenesis of adhesive infections is related, in part, to preferential colonization of “inert” substrata whose surfaces are not integrated with healthy tissues composed of living cells and intact extracellular polymers. Tissue integration is an interesting parallel to microbial adhesion and is a desired phenomenon for the biocompatibility of certain implants and biomaterials. Tissue integration requires a form of eukaryocytic adhesion or compatibility with possible chemical integration to an implant surface. Many of the fundamental principles of interfacial science apply to both microbial adhesion and to tissue integration and are general to and independent of the substratum materials involved. Interactions of biomaterials with bacteria and tissue cells are directed not only by specific receptors and outer membrane molecules on the cell surface, but also by the atomic geometry and electronic state of the biomaterial surface. An understanding of these mechanisms is important to all fields of medicine and is derived from and relevant to studies in microbiology, biochemistry, and physics. Modifications of biomaterial surfaces at an atomic level will allow the programming of cell-to-substratum events, thereby diminishing infection by enhancing tissue compatibility or integration, or by directly inhibiting bacterial adhesion.

This paper is a study of the finances of insurgent groups. It takes the view that a “model” guerrilla movement evolves through three stages, with corresponding changes in both its expenditure responsibilities and its fundraising activities.

We have analysed optical spectra of the high-redshift QSO HS l700+6416 (z = 2.72) discovered during the Hamburg survey. These spectra are of moderately high resolution (0.47 A) in the Lya forest and of low resolution (10 A) longward of the Ly α emission line. In the velocity range between Ly β and Ly α-3000 km s −1 (to avoid the'proximity effect'), we detect 3 8 Ly α absorption lines at the 4 σ level. Following previous authors, we fit the rest equivalent width probability distribution of absorbers with a functional form N(W)∞exp(−W/W * ) and the H I column density probability distribution of absorbers with a functional form N(N H1 )∞N H1 −β

Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are thought to result from the explosions of certain massive stars, and some are bright enough that they should be observable out to redshifts of z > 20 using current technology. Hitherto, the highest redshift measured for any object was z = 6.96, for a Lyman-alpha emitting galaxy. Here we report that GRB 090423 lies at a redshift of z approximately 8.2, implying that massive stars were being produced and dying as GRBs approximately 630 Myr after the Big Bang. The burst also pinpoints the location of its host galaxy.

Musculoskeletal infection is extraordinarily resistant to treatment. Bacterial colonization is discussed as well as host defense systems and antibiotic resistance.

This paper considers the low temperature doping of (100) Si and SiGe structures with elemental B and Sb sources particularly with regard to obtaining very narrow delta doping spikes. B is found to be an excellent dopant at SiGe growth temperatures incorporating in an active state at concentrations up to 10%. B delta layers of 1 nm or less have also been grown. Sb is also shown to be capable of providing delta doped layers less than 2 nm wide. The B deltalayers have been incorporated into modulation doped structures yielding an order of magnitude increase in mobility at 77 K.